Real Madrid’s busy December schedule begins on Wednesday when they take on Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side comes into this game at the back of a well-deserving victory over Sevilla over the weekend, needing a superb strike from Vinicius Junior late in the game to seal all three points.
Madrid also occupies the top of the table as things stand despite playing one game less than second-placed Real Sociedad. The Los Blancos are currently on a six-game winning streak across all competitions and have not lost a game since the 2-1 league defeat to Espanyol in October.
Bilbao on the other side are on poor form in their last five games, failing to win any of those. They have four draws and one defeat during that run. Marcelino’s men came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at home against Granada in their last league game. They sit in the eighth position on the league log with 20 points, 13 points behind Madrid and eight points off the top four places.
Bilbao’s only win over Madrid last season came in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup, beating the Los Blancos with a 2-1 scoreline. However, they lost both league encounters against the Los Blancos.
In the managerial battle, Carlo Ancelotti has triumphed twice over Marcelino, who is yet to inflict any defeat on the Italian gaffer in their four meetings.
WHERE AND WHEN?
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Date: Wednesday, December 1
Time: 20:00 GMT
TEAM NEWS
Both Rodrygo Goes and Eden Hazard has recovered for the upcoming game after the pair were not present for the clash with Sevilla on Sunday. Dani Ceballos is edging closer to returning to team training but Gareth Bale’s return continues to delay.
The manager is not expected to make too many changes to the setup that defeated Sevilla over the weekend but Federico Valverde could be given a starting role.
Bilbao have four players on the treatment table heading into the game against the league leaders. Asier Villalibre, Yuri Berchiche, Daniel Vivian and Peru Nolaskoain Esnal are all out while Inigo Martinez is suspended following his red card over the weekend.
EXPECTED STARTING LINEUPS
Real Madrid predicted lineup: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius.
Athletic Bilbao predicted lineup: Simon; Lekue, Alvarez, Nunez, Balenziaga; N. Williams, Vencedor, D. Garcia, Muniain; Inaki, R. Garcia.
PREDICTION
Real Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao
