Athletic Club vs Real Madrid
5 July 1300hrs
Football – Spain – La Liga
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Sportingbet
Odds: 14/5 odds taken 1200 GMT, Saturday 4 July
It’s seen as the game which could determine La Liga as leaders Real Madrid face their hardest game of their run-in against a dangerous Athletic Club side.
Table of Contents
- 1 Athletic Club Preview – Can inform Athletic derail Madrid’s title hopes and improve their European chances?
- 2 Real Madrid Preview – Will formidable Real continue their charge for a first title since 2017?
- 3 Athletic Club vs Real Madrid Betting Advice
- 4 The best betting odds for Athletic Club vs Real Madrid
Athletic Club Preview – Can inform Athletic derail Madrid’s title hopes and improve their European chances?
It’s probably a fair assessment to suggest that Athletic come into this game in as good a frame of mind as they have been all season. The midweek win over Valencia followed up a home win against Mallorca to put the Bilbao club in eighth spot and just four points behind Getafe who occupy the final Europa League qualification spot, as it stands. It’s now just one defeat in their last eight games in La Liga which – coming on the back of a run of games where they went 10 games without a victory, shows a real improvement.
Athletic also have the small matter of the Copa Del Rey final against bitter rivals Real Sociedad on completion of the league season.
Qualification for European competition is clearly the priority and although they would choose to do that with a win in the cup, there is also a real urge to confirm their place in the Europa League via their league placing.
Raul Garcia was the hero in the win over Valencia with a double taking his tally to 13 for the season. He may be at the veteran stage of his career but this is already his most prolific season and his important to the team is huge. As a former Atletico Madrid player he will have even more motivation in this game.
Real Madrid Preview – Will formidable Real continue their charge for a first title since 2017?
Defeat to Real Betis at the beginning of March seems an awful long time ago now for Zinedine Zidane and his players. And not only because of the global pandemic. That loss handed the initiative and top spot back to Barcelona but since returning Real Madrid have been relentless in pursuit of the La Liga title. The win over Getafe on Thursday was the sixth straight victory and, combined with Barca’s troubles, means Real have a four point lead.
There’s still plenty of work to do, of course, with this game marking the first of their remaining five. Many believe if they win this, however, they will go in to win the title.
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The win over Getafe was the third time in six wins where the margin of victory has been one goal and also their fifth clean sheet in a row. It’s evidence of how much resilience there is within the group and whilst they are not at their best in an attacking sense, they are still grinding out results.
Coincidentally, the last time Real Madrid won seven games was en route to their last title back in 2017.
Athletic Club vs Real Madrid Betting Advice
This promises to be the most crucial game in terms of the La Liga title race. An away win and you would think it’s done with four games left to play. However, any dropped points and it would give a dysfunctional Barcelona team a chance of retaining their trophy.
Athletic won’t be worrying about any of that, they’ll just be wanting to continue their good run and improve their chances of a top six finish.
Key Facts – Athletic Club vs Real Madrid Betting Tip
- It’s now just one loss in eight for Atheltic who still have a Copa Del Rey final to look forward to
- Real have been relentless since the resumption and are now four points clear of Barcelona
- It was a goalless draw when the teams met at the Bernabeu just before Christmas
This is definitely the hardest game for Real and is traditionally a difficult fixtures. Four of the last seven meetings between the clubs have ended in a draw and that’s my selection in the Basque country on Sunday.
