La Liga: Atletico Madrid Will Not Let Up Against Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid

After reclaiming the La Liga table lead through their most recent victories, Atletico Madrid are keen to extend their advantage when they visit Athletic Bilbao this Sunday evening.

In a few weeks back, it looked like Atletico Madrid were vulnerable due to their underwhelming La Liga 2021 results. However, when they entered the lighter part of their schedule, they quickly used it to their advantage.

With six matchdays left here in the Spanish top-flight, there’s no reason for Diego Simeone’s men to let up as they have the biggest target on their backs.

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However, facing a determined Athletic Bilbao squad won’t be as easy as it looks since the hosts have their plans as well.

Los Leones look to solidify their place in the Top 10 with another win here, and Real Madrid and Barcelona are going to root for their success.

Athletic Bilbao almost pipped Atletico Madrid in their previous meeting not too long ago, but can they finally succeed this time around?

Talking Points

Athletic Bilbao are held back by subpar outings

For Athletic Bilbao to move up into the La Liga standings, they must realise their potential sooner or later.

Team manager Marcelino has some topnotch attackers at his disposal, but their performances have been inconsistent at best. Top scorers Berenguer Remiro, Inaki Williams, and Iker Munlain have yet to find the back of the net in over a month now, which is quite a worrisome trend.

Athletic Bilbao’s inconsistencies out front were in full display as their last five league games featured five draws with three of them goalless.

They could’ve won against Celta Vigo, Eibar, Real Betis, and Alaves, but they were unable to seal the deal. However, their performance against Real Sociedad offer some optimism.

Asier Villalibre, who has four goals and one assist, was a spark in the said fixture and he continues to repay the trust given to him by his manager. Villalibre is certainly a keeper for Bilbao, which adds to their war chest of capable goal scorers.

The 23-year-old centre forward is expected to feature in the starting XI once more this weekend, and it is likely that he’ll play alongside either Inaki Williams or Iker Munlain.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will go against Marcelino García Toral’s Athletic Bilbao for a La Liga showdown — Diego Simeone coaches Atletico Madrid from the sidelines during match against Huesca at Wanda Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid are back in the driver’s seat

Los Rojiblancos sent an emphatic statement to the rest of La Liga with back-to-back wins over Eibar and Huesca. They have been utterly dominant in the said stretch as they punched in seven goals while conceding none from the other end.

Now as they’ll face Athletic Bilbao and Elche next, this serves as a perfect warm-up for Atletico Madrid as they look ahead of May.

Atletico Madrid’s month of May will kick off versus Barcelona and Real Sociedad, and that may very well determine their fate in the championship race.

With that said, wins must continue to come for them in order to keep their confidence up especially as they continue to deal with injuries.

Joao Felix remains a doubt since he’s still recovering from a leg injury, while Luis Suarez is considered probable since he rejoined training after experiencing a knock few weeks ago.

Regardless of who Simeone puts out there, Atletico Madrid’s firepower should be enough to blow away Athletic Bilbao on the road.

History

The hosts have a long way to go in order to catch up with their visitors in the overall head-to-heads.

In their last 42 meetings against Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao have only gathered 11 wins and six draws. Los Rojiblancos, on the other hand, have 25 victories.

Atletico Madrid have gone undefeated in seven of their last eight encounters against Athletic Bilbao. Los Leones’ previous win in this matchup dates back to October 2019.

Bilbao almost added another win when they pushed Atletico to the limit in their reverse fixture last March. However, Iker Munlain’s 21st-minute goal was erased by Marcos Llorente and Luis Suarez.

Betting Tip

	Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid	Atletico Madrid Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 1.72
	April 26, 3:00(GMT+8)

Atletico Madrid are installed as the clear favourites for this weekend’s contest, as per the La Liga 2021 odds here at SBOTOP.

Los Rojiblancos are priced to win 1.95, whereas Athletic Bilbao are pegged lower at 3.95 and a draw is likelier at 3.30 in the 1X2 market.

Even without some of their main men out, Atletico Madrid remain a dangerous group given their cohesive attacking and defending.

Los Leones certainly do pack quite a bite in them given their high-ceiling players. But if they’ll revert to their erratic form, they’ll have zero chance in beating the league leaders.