Real Madrid take on the visitors Athletic Bilbao in the round 38 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, June 4th at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
Real Madrid in the current season is are able to settle for victory in the Copa del Rey, which is undoubtedly a weak consolation for the royal club. Carlo Ancelotti's team surrendered the title of Spanish champion to their eternal rival Barcelona and suffered a crushing defeat in the UEFA Champions League at the semi-final stage, losing to Manchester City with an aggregate score of 5-1. Now, their only remaining goal is to secure the status of "vice-champion" to prevent it from falling into the hands of their arch-rivals. Currently, Real Madrid leads Atletico Madrid by just one point in the table, making the task for Ancelotti's boys straightforward. They either need to win outright regardless of Atletico's result or at least match their competitor's performance in the parallel match. As for Real Madrid's recent results in the Spanish league, after their defeat against Valencia at the Mestalla (1-0), they secured two consecutive victories against Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla (both 2-1). At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid has been nearly flawless this season. Apart from an unexpected loss to Villarreal, the Galacticos have achieved thirteen victories with four draws. Supported by their home crowd, they have scored 43 goals while conceding 15.
{{book}]Athletic Bilbao have struggled in the final stretch of the season, doing everything possible to avoid qualifying for the European competitions based on its outcome. With only one win in their last seven matches and five losses, it is certainly not the kind of result that can lead to a successful conclusion of the championship. The quintessence of this unsuccessful period for the Lions was their home defeat against Elche in the previous round (0-1). Ernesto Valverde's team once again had a noticeable advantage in gameplay, wasted numerous chances, and conceded the decisive goal in the 92nd minute of the match. Despite these disappointing results, the Lions still have a chance to secure a spot in the departing train named the UEFA Conference League. Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna have the same number of points (50), but Athletic is behind in head-to-head meetings. Osasuna will face Girona at their home stadium in this round. Surprisingly, the Basque team performs better away than at home. In eighteen matches played on opponents' fields, Athletic Bilbao has achieved six victories, five draws, and seven defeats. During this period, they have scored 24 goals and conceded 27.
Real Madrid, despite the possible absence of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, as well as some squad rotation, remain the favorite in the upcoming match. The game against Sevilla clearly demonstrated that the bench strength of the Galacticos is more than capable, as Rodrigo effectively replaced Karim Benzema up front. Bilbao doesn't seem too eager to burden themselves with participation in the UEFA Conference League next season; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain their recent results. After their defeat against Villarreal in early April, Real Madrid has won their subsequent four home matches and has a good chance of extending this streak to five. In the league, Athletic Bilbao last defeated Real Madrid at their home ground back in 2005. Since then, the teams have faced each other 17 times, with the hosts winning 15 of those matches. Considering the current form and the history of their encounters, I believe the chances of success are much higher for the home team. However, to be cautious, I will go with the handicap bet (0) in case of a draw. My prediction: Handicap 1 (0).
Prediction for the match: Real Madrid to win with 0.0 handicap.
