Real Madrid vs Athletic Club: Preview, predictions and lineups
Publish : Sunday, 2025-04-20 ( Europe/London )
Real Madrid host Athletic Club in La Liga on Sunday night. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups and more.
Real Madrid are hoping to keep pace with Barcelona in the La Liga title race when they take on fourth-place Athletic Club on Sunday night.
Fresh off their Champions League exit, it appeared as if Madrid's domestic hopes were going to receive a big boost on Saturday when Celta Vigo took a 3-1 lead in the second-half at Barca. However, Hansi Flick's side rallied after Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal's arrivals, eventually securing a dramatic 4-3 victory at the last.
Their lead is now seven points at the top, and although there's a Clasico still to be played, Madrid's title hopes will take an almighty blow if they fail to win on Sunday. They'll certainly need to be vastly improved from Wednesday night, when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Arsenal.
They'll qualify for the Champions League by triumphing in Europe this season, but Ernesto Valverde's side are also primed for a top-four finish. Athletic are six points clear of Villarreal in fifth and haven't lost in La Liga since 1 March.
Here is 90min's guide to Sunday night's big La Liga clash.
What time does Real Madrid vs Athletic Club kick-off?
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
- Date: Sunday 20 April
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera
- VAR: Adrian Cordero Vega
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club head-to-head record (last five games)
- Real Madrid: 3 wins
- Athletic Club: 1 win
- Draws: 1
Current form (all competitions)
Real Madrid | Athletic Club |
|---|---|
Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal - 16/04/25 | Athletic Club 2-0 Rangers - 17/04/25 |
Alaves 0-1 Real Madrid - 13/04/25 | Athletic Club 3-1 Rayo Vallecano - 13/04/25 |
Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid - 08/04/25 | Rangers 0-0 Athletic Club - 10/04/25 |
Real Madrid 1-2 Valencia - 05/04/25 | Villarreal 0-0 Athletic Club - 06/04/25 |
Real Madrid 4-4 (AET) Real Sociedad - 01/04/25 | Athletic Club 0-0 Osasuna - 30/03/25 |
How to watch Real Madrid vs Athletic Club on TV - UK & US
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV, Premier Sports 1 |
United States | ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes |
Canada | TSN+, TSN2 |
Real Madrid team news
Ancelotti will be forced into a change up top as a result of Kylian Mbappe's suspension. The Frenchman was sent off at Alaves last week for an awful challenge which somehow required VAR intervention to see a red card produced.
Endrick is poised to step up for the hosts, with the Madrid boss so far reluctant to trust the young Brazilian in La Liga. Starts have come few and far between for the teenager in year one.
Brahim Diaz could replace Rodrygo down the right, while Fran Garcia should come in for David Alaba. Federico Valverde will likely return to right-back and match-up against Nico Williams.
On the injury front, the hosts are still without Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Athletic Club
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Athletic (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Brahim, Bellingham, Vinicius; Endrick.
Athletic Club team news
While Nico Williams starred in Athletic's win over Rangers on Thursday, his older brother, Inaki, was an unused substitute due to an adductor injury. The forward could play a part in Madrid, but a start is unlikely.
The visitors are set to be without Yuri Berchiche again due to a calf issue, but they escaped their tie with the Gers without any more fitness complaints.
Spanish international Unai Simon is among the players poised to return to Valverde's XI.
Athletic Club predicted lineup vs Real Madrid
Athletic predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Simon; Gorosabel, Vivian, Paredes, Lekue; Jauregizar, Prados; Berenguer, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club score prediction
Barcelona's come-from-behind victory on Saturday is a major psychological blow ahead of Athletic's visit to the Bernabeu. Ancelotti's men would've been buoyed by any Celta result in Catalonia, which looked likely for much of the contest, but Flick's side now look poised for La Liga glory.
Madrid were terrible over two legs against Arsenal, and Athletic enter Sunday's fixture in good form. They beat Los Blancos in the reverse fixture, and will back themselves to secure a rare win in the capital.
The hosts aren't capable of controlling games against impressive opposition, and Athletic are bound to create plenty given just how dynamic their frontline is. However, the absence of Mbappe will force Madrid's alternative superstars to step up, and the likes of Vini Jr and Jude Bellingham could inspire a result for the hosts. A draw, however, isn't ideal.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Athletic Club
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