La Liga resumes with a match between the title favorites and a top four contender.
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Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao odds
Find the latest match odds for Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao. All ratings are provided by our top rated football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
⚡Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Quick Betting Tips
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions
With the final international break of the 2023/24 season behind us, we can look forward to the resumption of championships across Europe.
The Premier League is locked in a three-way title fight involving Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Conversely, the leaders of Serie A (Inter), Ligue 1 (Paris Saint-Germain) and Bundesliga (Bayer Leverkusen) are not likely to be caught.
La Liga probably also falls into the second category. Real Madrid are eight points clear at the top of the table. It would be a shock if they lost such a significant lead at this late stage of proceedings.
Barcelona, however, are doing their best to keep their main rivals honest. Since Xavi Hernandez announced he would be stepping down as manager of his boyhood club towards the end of January, Barca have been in fantastic form.
The Catalan team collected 20 points from the last 24 available, climbing above Girona and thus moving into second place. A home win against Las Palmas on Saturday would move them to within five points of Madrid ahead of the latter’s meeting with Athletic Bilbao a day later.
Given that the Clasico rivals will face each other in April, Barcelona would view a five-point deficit as entirely surmountable. The title race in the Spanish elite is not yet over.
Make no mistake, this is a potential banana skin for Madrid. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have only lost one La Liga match this season. This is a team that doesn’t taste defeat very often.
Needless to say, Barcelona fans will be cheering on Athletic at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Atletico Madrid will be in the unusual position of wanting Real Madrid to win, as it would hurt their rival for a top-four finish, Athletic.
Things can get complicated when we reach the business end of the campaign.
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Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips
Athletic Bilbao are aiming for Champions League qualification and will look to upset Real Madrid this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao or draw – 6/4 (Star Sports)
Atletico Madrid may be preparing for a Champions League quarter-final, but they risk missing out on next season’s edition of the competition, despite their imminent expansion to 36 teams.
Indeed, Athletic Bilbao recently overtook them to fourth place in La Liga. The Basque team has only lost five games all season. Only Real Madrid and Barcelona have been beaten less often.
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They will have to use all their resilience to avoid succumbing to a sixth defeat of 2023/24 this weekend. Madrid’s home record is almost perfect: 12 wins and two draws in their 14 La Liga matches at the Bernabeu this season.
Athletic, for its part, is much stronger in front of its own supporters than in front of its opponents. However, Ernesto Valverde’s men have avoided defeat in 24 of their last 26 matches in all competitions. Athletic is a difficult player to solve wherever he plays.
With that in mind, it might be worth considering these attractive chances of Madrid failing to come out on top on Sunday.
⚽ Support Athletic Bilbao or draw in the 1/8 double chance market with bet365 ⚽
Under 2.5 goals – 23/20 (MGM Bet)
Athletic Bilbao are hoping that Real Madrid lack a bit of rhythm and fluidity after the international break.
THE Whites still have the type of exceptional individual talent that can win any match even if the collective isn’t firing on all cylinders, but Athletic will be hoping to frustrate their hosts.
These two teams have the two best defensive records in La Liga. Madrid scored 20 goals, while Athletic’s defense was breached 26 times.
Goals tend to be few and far between when Valverde’s men face one of Spain’s big three. In their four meetings with Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico this season, there have been two goals or fewer.
Of course, Ancelotti’s team is capable of blowing away any team in Europe in their era. But on this occasion, they may have to show another side of their game.
⚽ Aim for under 2.5 goals at 6/5 with BetUK ⚽
Athletic Bilbao will score first – 9/4 (Sky Bet)
Real Madrid are rightly favorites to break the deadlock on Sunday, but it could be worth allowing Athletic Bilbao to draw first blood.
Consider that no team in La Liga has a better first-half record than Athletic. This is true in three different categories: home matches, away matches and overall matches.
The Basque side tends to come out of the block quickly. Madrid, on the other hand, are in fourth place in the first half home table, compared to first place in the second half home table.
Ancelotti’s side generally do well at the Bernabeu, but it can sometimes take them a while to get going. The likelihood of this happening again on Sunday is increased due to Athletic’s stubbornness and the disruption caused by the international break.
⚽ Take odds of 9/4 on Athletic Bilbao’s opening goal with Sky Bet⚽
📺 How to watch Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
- Location: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain.
- Date and time: Sunday March 31, 2024, 8 p.m.
- How to watch: Viaplay Sports 1.
About the Author
Greg Léa
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He primarily covers the Premier League and has published work in the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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