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Real Madrid to Continue Domination

La Liga Leaders Hit Road to Face Bilbao

La Liga leaders Real Madrid will travel to play Bilbao on Wednesday and they will try to bounce back after being kept to a goalless draw by Cadiz. Our sportsbook is offering a great number of props for the Spanish top-flight league.

Bilbao: Depleted Squad

Bilbao finally managed to return to winning ways after eight winless games, beating Betis 3-2 on home soil. Not only are they very inconsistent and dropping points in almost every other fixture, but their attacking line has also been one of the worst this term in the league.

Bilbao vs Real Madrid Matchday 21 2021
JAVIER SORIANO / AFP

The hosts have not kept a clean sheet in their last five home appearances, and they also have a poor head-to-head record against the leaders, winning just one of their previous seven mutual encounters. They enter this clash at underdogs at +220 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds.

Bilbao will welcome Dani Garcia back into their starting lineup following a suspension, but the hosts will unfortunately be without the services of many of their most important players. Asier Villalibre, Dani Vivian, Peru Nolaskoain and Yuri Berchiche remain unavailable through injury, while Inigo Martinez and Unai Simon both tested positive for COVID-19.

Three of the last five head-to-head contests between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid have gone under 2½ goals and we expect this match to have the same outcome given the injuries from both sides. Despite sitting ninth in the La Liga standings, only Cadiz, Alaves and Getafe have scored less goals than Bilbao, with all three fighting for survival.

It’s their rock-solid defense that keeps Bilbao at the top half of the table. They have the best defense in the league with just 14 goals allowed in 18 games.

Only three of Bilbao’s 18 La Liga fixtures have seen at least three goals this term so you can’t go wrong if you back the unders in your soccer picks and parlays.

Real Madrid: Bounce-Back Time

Real Madrid’s 10-game winning streak came to an end last weekend as they were kept to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Cadiz. It was just one of those days when the ball didn’t want to go into the net. If you watch the stats, it was total domination from Real Madrid.

They had 82 percent ball possession, 36 goal-attempts and nine shots on target. It happens, but it doesn’t mean Real Madrid is bad and we should start questioning them. They are one of the most consistent teams in Europe and if you’re betting online, they are a must to take.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are sitting at the top of the table with a five-point lead, and they have the best attack in the league with 43 goals scored in 18 games. If we take out the goalless draw against Cadiz, Real Madrid has netted at least two in nine of their previous 10 games.

Rodrygo, Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Andriy Lunin and Marcelo are all out following positive COVID-19 tests, while Luka Modric remains a major doubt despite testing negative a few days ago. On top of that, Dani Carvajal is fighting for fitness while Isco is waiting for the latest test results.

With so many injuries and missing players, the two teams will lack attacking firepower. Real Madrid will probably return home with the three points following a short 1-0 win, so we will sprinkle a small stake on an away win as the odds are just great (+130). For our official picks for this clash, we’re still taking the unders.

Pick: Under 2½ goals (-120)

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