Tomás Yelmini
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid will play at the San Mamés stadium in the Basque Country as the 18th round of the best Spanish soccer, La Liga, comes to an end.
We expect a thrilling matchup, as both teams have extremely busy schedules (a few days after this, they will play in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals) and suffered crushing losses to their respective traditional rivals. Today, at JefeBet, we tell you how both teams head into this Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid, a game from the matchday 18 of La Liga of Spain.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid La Liga Matchday 18 Game on January 22, 2023
- Where: San Mamés – Bilbao, Spain
- When: Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 03.00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline: Athletic Bilbao (+175) / Tie (+235) / Real Madrid (+135)
- Asian Handicap: Athletic Bilbao (+0.5, -185) / Real Madrid (-0.5, +130)
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-120) / Under (-110)
- Both teams score: Yes (-160) / No (+120)
Odds provided by DraftKings.
[the_ad_placement id=”sports-futbol”]
Betting on Athletic Bilbao
The Basque club has 26 points and is currently ranked eighth in La Liga. Athletic, who just suffered a crushing 3-1 loss to Real Sociedad in the Basque derby, raised their spirits early on by defeating Espanyol 1-0. Now, they have advanced to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, where they will play Valencia next week.
Yeray Álvarez, who was sent off against Real Sociedad, and Iñigo Martínez, who is suffering from plantar fasciitis, will not be available for the home game against Real Madrid.
Probable lineup (4-3-3): Unai Simón; De Marcos, Daniel Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Yuri Berchiche; Zarraga, Mikel Vesga, Oihan Sancet; Iñaki Williams, Gorka Guruzeta, Nico Williams.
Betting on Real Madrid
Real Madrid is in second place in the La Liga standings with 38 points, three behind Barcelona.
They played their last game specifically against the Catalan squad; however, it was not in the regional competition, but rather in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. In this game, they had a poor performance, which resulted in a 3-1 defeat. It was a real thrashing by the blaugrana team, something that has undoubtedly gone down not so well in Valdebebas. .
As a result, we anticipate Real Madrid to be slightly tired for the match in Bilbao, not just from the return travel from Riyadh but also from their Copa del Rey round of 16 meeting against Villarreal on Thursday (3-2 victory). While the injured Aurélien Tchouameni, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, and Lucas Vázquez are anticipated to make a full recovery, Luka Modrić is most likely to play on Sunday.
Probable lineup (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Vinicius Tobias, Antonio Rüdiger, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy; Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga; Federico Valverde, Vinicius Júnior, Karim Benzema.
JefeBet Prediction
There is one fact that worries the Bilbalo team, and that is that they haven’t won any of the last 14 matches against Real Madrid (4 draws and 10 defeats).
Still, they haven’t lost in their last three home games in La Liga, nor have they conceded goals in any of them. In reality, behind Barcelona, they are the least defeated defense in the championship (six clean sheets). For all these reasons, at JefeBet we believe that Athletic will beat Real Madrid.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao wins 2-1.
