Preview: Athletic Bilbao vs. Atletico Madrid – prediction, team news, lineups

San Mames will host an intriguing La Liga affair on Saturday night as Athletic Bilbao Welcome Atletico Madridwith both teams not yet in their best form this season.

Athletic go into the match with a 1-0 win over Valencia on Wednesday, while Atletico drew 0-0 with Espanyol at the Wanda Metropolitano on the same evening.

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Athletic opened the 2024-25 La Liga season with a 1-1 draw against Getafe on August 15, before losing 2-1 to Barcelona last weekend. That means there will be some pressure on the side ahead of their match against Valencia at San Mames on Wednesday.

It was far from a great performance from the Lions against Los Che, but they managed to secure all three points thanks to a 45th-minute goal from Benat Prados.

Four points from three games remain Ernesto Valverdeare 10th in the table and they are aiming for another three points before the international break in September.

Athletic have signed three players this summer, the biggest of which turned out to be the following: Alvaro Djalobut their best piece of business is holding on to Nico Williamsas Barcelona, ​​Arsenal and Liverpool are among the clubs keen to sign him during the current transfer window.

The Basque club suffered a 3-1 defeat to Atlético when the two teams last met in April, but they recorded a 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture in the 2023-24 season.

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Atlético are still unbeaten in La Liga this season, but it’s fair to say the capital giants aren’t quite up to scratch yet, having shared points in two of their first three games.

Diego SimeoneThe team drew 2-2 with Villarreal in the season opener, before winning 3-0 against Girona last weekend. They were unable to continue that streak, however, and held Espanyol to a 0-0 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night.

Atlético are fourth in the table with five points from three games. After the international break, they will be back in action with a home game against Valencia.

The Red and Whites, who finished fourth in La Liga last season, are very active on the transfer market and have Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Robin LeNormand, Alexander Sorloth, Juan Musso And Clement Lenglet to strengthen their team.

Joao Felix has been the club’s biggest outlay this summer in terms of transfer fee, but they have also sold players such as Samu Omorodion, Alvaro Morata And Caglar Soyuncu.

Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

Atletico Madrid La Liga Form:

Team news

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Athletic are currently without four players due to injuries, with Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta And One of Simon not available for selection.

The Basque side did not face any new problems against Valencia, but some changes are expected in the team, with Nico Williams and Mikel Vesga are likely to be introduced.

Djalo started on the left against Valencia and that is likely to be the case in this match as Nico Williams may operate in a false nine against Simeone’s side.

As for Atletico, Marcos Paulo is still unavailable for selection, but the main squad are otherwise in strong form, with Simeone having plenty of options, particularly in midfield and attack.

There will be changes from the team that started against Espanyol, with Antoine Griezmann And Jose Gimenez set to return to the XI, while Samuel Lino could return to the wingback role.

Griezmann is likely to play a little deeper, allowing Sorloth and Alvarez to continue to form the front two, but new signings Lenglet and Gallagher are also likely to be on the bench at the first whistle.

Possible Athletic Bilbao line-up:
Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Boiro; Vesga, Prados; I Williams, Sancet, Djalo; N Williams

Possible Atletico Madrid line-up:
Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Witsel, Gimenez, Lino; De Paul, Koke, Griezmann; Sorloth, Alvarez

We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Atletico Madrid

This is a tough match to predict and we find it very difficult to separate them. There hasn’t been a draw between these two teams since September 2021 but we believe a thrilling match on Saturday will end with a sharing of the spoils.

For a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scorelines and more for this match, click here.

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