The lights are on at San Mames as Athletic Bilbao will entertain Atletico Madrid in what promises to be a mouth-watering La Liga affair on Aug. 15, and the teams will be looking to lay their hands on highly priced points in this early-season clash. Of course, the Bilbao side has not showed its best form so far this season, while neither has Atletico Madrid; but that should change in this game as they try to make a quick impression.
Athletic Bilbao comes into this match off a 1-0 close win over Valencia, whilst Atletico Madrid has been made to draw a 0-0 by Espanyol. Considering the inconsistency of both teams so far in the opening rounds of La Liga, this match will surely be an all action battle for both the teams.
Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid Lineups
Athletic Bilbao’s Expected Lineup:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
- GK: Agirrezabala
- Defenders: De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Boiro
- Midfielders: Vesga, Prados; I. Williams, Sancet, Djalo
- Forward: N. Williams
Atletico Madrid’s Expected Lineup:
Formation: 5-3-2
- GK: Oblak
- Defenders: Molina, Le Normand, Witsel, Gimenez, Lino
- Midfielders: De Paul, Koke, Griezmann
- Forwards: Sorloth, Alvarez
Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid Form and Result Prediction
Athletic Bilbao started their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with an underwhelming draw at Getafe, which turned 1-1. Another 2-1 loss to Barcelona wasn’t something they’d wish for but it came as a relief when they could get a 1-0 win over Valencia that has so far brought them four points from three games into the middle of the table.
While not thrilling, it is a sign that they can gather points from tight games, especially as the defining goal was scored in the 45th minute by Benat Prados. Of course, the Basque team has to put much on stream if they are going to defeat an impressive Atletico defense.
Atletico Madrid have taken the first three league games without a defeat, though two of those were draws. Their first game ended in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Their second match saw them beautifully thrash Girona 3-0, which unfortunately remains the only momentum they could gather because the next match ended in a stalemate against Espanyol 0-0.
The Simeone men are known for their defense org, but inconsistency in attack has left some quarters of their fans with concern. Atletico is sitting higher on the table with five points gotten from three matches, but they will have to rediscover their scoring touch if they must break through Athletic Bilbao’s defense.
Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid Team News
Some of Athletic Bilbao’s key players will be out due to injuries during the match, including Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, and Unai Simon. However, the team itself is not that weak, and their regular starters should be expected in the playing field, such as Mikel Vesga and Nico Williams, who will probably take over to play from the start.
Alvaro Djalo should start as he adds depth to their attack. The club must also have won at his retention as this young star winger Nico Williams will not be leaving the club in the transfer window despite his admirers also being keen on him like Barcelona and Liverpool.
Atletico Madrid is not fully embracing the trip to Bilbao as they will miss Marcos Paulo, declared unavailable due to injury. They have the rest of their players fit and ready to support those two new signings, starting with Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth up front for this clash, with Antoine Griezmann likely playing a more metronomically deep role to link midfield and forwards.
Diego Simeone could be ready to make a few changes in the starting lineup following the draw with Espanyol. Jose Gimenez and Samuel Lino should return from the missing players, while the newcomers during the summer transfer season are, most probably, going to remain on the bench – just like it’s going to happen with Clement Lenglet or Conor Gallagher.
Tactical Battle
Athletic Bilbao: Expectation and tactics
Conventionally, Athletic Bilbao will rely on physicality, rapid high pressing, and solidly organized defense. For Valverde’s team, it will all depend on the spaces available in wide areas through pace from Nico Williams and lots of creativity from Oihan Sancet.
Back in the den, Bilbao would look to pin down the visitors early. San Mames will be a superb venue that may serve well to Bilbao as they go through their scheme. Djalo as the wide playmaker and false nine, may create some unpredictability in strategy and keep Atletico’s defense on its toes.
Atletico Madrid’s Strategy
Atletico Madrid, now synonymous under Simeone’s hands with a compact defensive structure and counter-attacking style, are happy to defend in numbers while breaking quickly through the middle with Griezmann orchestrating play and Alvarez’s movement up front from behind the striker.
Simeone could look at the game to control the midfield to let Koke and Rodrigo De Paul have control in dictating their tempo and suffocating the opponent’s creativity.
The other area that can play a huge role will be set pieces, where Atletico has aerial threats in Sorloth and Le Normand.
Prediction
The two teams have yet to settle down into any rhythm, so it is going to be quite a close call for the game. With so much attacking prowess and with home advantage on their hands, Athletic Bilbao is truly a team to be feared, but one thing that would surely play in the minds of the Bilbao players is the solidity that Atletico Madrid would present before them. It should be quite a tight game with very few goals.
Predicted Score: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Conclusion
Atletico Madrid travels to Athletic Bilbao at San Mames to meet them. And this match could be very crucial to decide which side will succeed in winning the prized points over the other as it could push both sides forward to win their La Liga campaigns. Today’s team would count on the support of its people, dynamic attacking talent, and Atletico might look to bolster their defense and go for counter-attacking to score. The top dogs in both camps would be there, and both teams have shown tactical acumen so far, so the battle promises to be low-scoring and charged with excitement.
Although both teams have a balanced lineup and respective news, both teams may win that crucial match at a particular moment.
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