Athletic Bilbao has no chances of winning La Liga title, but still has an opportunity of winning a UEFA Europa League ticket for next season. Atletico Madrid needs to win, otherwise, Real Madrid and Barcelona could catch them at the top with only six games left.
Let’s take a look at the latest team and player news, stats, injury reports and the La Liga Odds for Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid while making some predictions.
Game: Athletic Bilbao vs Atlético Madrid
Location: San Mames Stadium, Bilbao
Time: Sunday, April 25, 3 p.m. ET
Television: beIN Sports
Live Stream: fuboTV
La Liga Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| Athletic Bilbao | +½ -110 | +340 | 2 -110o | ½ -155o / +125u |
| Atletico Madrid | -½ -110 | -110 | 2 -110u | 1½ +130o / -160u |
| Draw | +240 |
Head to Head
- Competitive Matches: 181
- Athletic Bilbao Victories: 65 (270 goals)
- Atletico Madrid Victories: 85 (295 goals)
- Draws: 31
The last time they met, Atletico Madrid won 2-1 thanks to Luis Suarez, who converted a penalty kick into their second and definitive goal. They usually gave us back and forth, very entertaining games, a match between these two hasn’t finished 0-0 since the 2014-15 season.
Atletico Madrid lost just one of their last 10 games against Athletic Bilbao, and they won seven. They also finished with a clean sheet three times and failed to score just once.
The previous game at San Mames finished 1-1.
Why bet on Athletic Bilbao?
Athletic Bilbao has lost just one of their last 10 La Liga games. It was against… Atletico Madrid. They’ve drawn in their last five consecutive matches, more recently 0-0 against Deportivo Alaves and Real Betis.
They average 1.2 goals per game while allowing 1.06 goals per match. Athletic Bilbao, who sits in tenth place, owns a better defensive record than fifth to ninth place.
Last weekend, they lost 4-0 against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey finale. They simply can’t afford another embarrassment like that and losing this one would mean to officially say bye-bye to the UEFA Europa League for next season.
Curiously enough, Athletic Club has received the first card of the game in their last five home games, but against an opponent like Atletico Madrid, you can’t lose your temper. Athletic owns a 7-4-4 record when playing at home, 6-6-3 against the spread, and 5-7-3 over/under.
Five players are fighting with injury problems, including Iker Muniain, Yeray Alvarez, and Yuri Berchiche, who have played 20+ games each. Their expected lineup is Unai Simon, Inigo Lekue, Unai Nunez, Mikel Balenziaga, Oscar De Marcos, Jon Morcillo, Unai Vencedor, Mikel Vesga, Ibai Gomez and Inaki Williams.
Why Bet on Atletico Madrid?
Atletico Madrid played the last two games with a lot of pressure on their shoulders but managed to win both games against Eibar and S.D. Huesca to fulfill the sports betting predictions. Those were “easy games”, because now they’ll be facing not only Athletic Bilbao, but also Barcelona and Real Sociedad in the upcoming weeks.
Diego Simeone’s team scored seven goals and allowed none in the last couple of games, proving that they’re fully focused on winning the title. Actually, winning La Liga title is all they’ve left, while Barcelona already won the Copa del Rey and Real Madrid still could win the UEFA Champions League.
“Los Colchoneros” have outscored their opponent in both halves in each of their last two games. Playing on the road, they own a 9-4-2 record, and they also are 8-6-1 against the spread and 5-6-4 over/under.
Luis Suarez and Thomas Lemar remain questionable due to injury, Suarez is the team’s top scorer with 19 goals, while Joao Felix could be back. Atletico’s expected lineup is Jan Oblak, Stefan Savic, Jose Maria Gimenez, Renan Lodi, Marcos Llorente, Kieran Trippier, Koke, Saul, Hector Herrera, Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco.
Atletico Madrid was involved in all the Super League controversy, but the club issued a statement to ease the waters: “Atletico de Madrid’s Board of Directors, which met on Wednesday morning, has decided to formally communicate to the Super League and the rest of the founding clubs its decision not to finally formalize its adhesion to the project.”
Final Analysis and Predictions
Athletic Bilbao may not be fighting for the title but is one of La Liga’s historic clubs, and they’ve become quite the experts in drawing. Two of the best prices in the latest Soccer Props are draws.
Atletico Madrid is not the same without Joao Felix and Luis Suarez, but their pride drives them. You can expect a shootout; Athletic wants to take advantage of the spotlight, while Atletico wants to remain in the title race.
Score Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 2, Atletico Madrid 2
