Three crucial points are up for grabs as Atlético de Madrid travel to the Basque Country to face Athletic Club, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Atlético (9-4-2, 31 points) are looking to bounce back after a disappointing midweek defeat to FC Barcelona. This marks the second of three consecutive away matches for a side that has struggled on the road throughout the season. Facing a challenging December across three competitions, Atleti will need to summon all their resilience to keep pace with LaLiga leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as third-placed Villarreal.
Atlético will be counting on an important performance from out-of-form Julián Álvarez, especially with Álex Baena sidelined due to a hamstring injury. With Baena unavailable for the foreseeable future, Los Rojiblancos will need to rely heavily on Álvarez’s creativity and finishing ability. Thiago Almada is also expected to play a key role, even though his minutes have been limited recently.
Athletic Club (6-2-7, 20 points) are navigating their own challenging schedule. Los Leones suffered a 3-0 defeat at San Mamés against Real Madrid on Wednesday and are set to host PSG next Wednesday. Athletic have lost four of their last six LaLiga matches and claimed just four victories in their past 14 games overall.
It has been a frustrating season for Ernesto Valverde’s side, who began the campaign hoping to maintain a top-four position. This optimism followed Nico Williams signing a new 10-year contract and the return of Aymeric Laporte from Al-Nassr. Athletic also bolstered their squad with the signing of Jesús Areso from Osasuna, the right-back opting to return home rather than join Atlético.
Atlético received some encouraging news on Thursday, as Robin Le Normand has a good chance of returning to action this weekend. With Clément Lenglet’s form and José María Giménez sidelined, Le Normand’s presence in defense will be a welcome boost.
Aside from Baena and Giménez, Marcos Llorente is also expected to miss his fourth straight match. Johnny Cardoso remains available after a left-knee contusion suffered against Barcelona. A possible Atlético starting XI could be: Oblak; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Nico; Barrios, Gallagher, Almada, Giuliano; Griezmann, Álvarez.
Historical Matchup
Atlético de Madrid hold an all-time LaLiga record of 82 wins, 31 draws, and 63 losses against Athletic Club. Over their last 10 league meetings, Atleti have gone 6-1-3. However, in their last seven visits to Estadio San Mamés, Atlético have won just twice.
The most recent clash saw an exciting 1-0 victory at the Metropolitano, with Álvarez scoring the decisive goal.
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