Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao prediction, preview, team news and more

Atletico Madrid are back in action with another La Liga fixture this weekend as they take on Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will need to step up in this match.

Athletic Bilbao have been excellent in La Liga so far and are yet to lose a match this season. The Basque giants eased past Mallorca in their previous game and will be confident ahead of this match.

Atletico Madrid have started the season well but have a few issues to address this weekend. Diego Simeone's charges were held to a 0-0 stalemate by FC Porto in their previous game and will need to find their shooting boots this weekend.

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-Head

Atletico Madrid have a good record against Athletic Bilbao and have won 25 matches out of 43 games played between the two teams. Athletic Bilbao have managed 12 victories against Atletico Madrid and will need to step up this weekend.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in April this year and ended in a 2-1 victory for Athletic Bilbao. Atletico Madrid were poor on the day and cannot afford a defeat in this fixture.

Atletico Madrid form guide in La Liga: W-D-W-W

Athletic Bilbao form guide in La Liga: W-W-D-D

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Team News

Atletico Madrid

Joao Felix is injured at the moment and will be unable to play a part against Elche this weekend. Thomas Lemar was taken off against FC Porto and is unlikely to feature in this match.

Injured: Joao Felix

Doubtful: Hector Herrera, Marcos Paulo, Santiago Arias, Thomas Lemar

Suspended: None

Athletic Bilbao

Peru Nolaskoain and Yuri Berchiche are injured at the moment and will not be able to play a part in this fixture. Yeray Alvarez, Oihan Sancet, and Aitor Paredes are also carrying knocks and might not feature in this match.

Injured: Peru Nolaskoain, Yuri Berchiche, Yeray Alvarez, Aitor Paredes, Oihan Sancet

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Predicted XI

Atletico Madrid Predicted XI (3-4-3): Jan Oblak; Felipe, Jose Gimenez, Mario Hermoso; Yannick Carrasco, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Kieran Trippier; Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa

Athletic Bilbao Predicted XI (4-4-2): Unai Simon; Mikel Balenziaga, Inigo Martinez, Dani Vivian, Inigo Lekue; Unai Vencedor, Dani Garcia, Iker Muniain, Alex Berenguer; Raul Garcia, Inaki Williams

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

Atletico Madrid were exceptional in La Liga last season and will be intent on keeping their league crown. Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann could lead the line for Los Colchoneros this weekend.

Athletic Bilbao have exceeded expectations so far and managed to keep Barcelona at bay this season. Both teams are in impressive defensive form and are likely to share the spoils on Saturday.

Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

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Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2021-22