Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Atletico Madrid in the round 15 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, December 6th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
Athletic are not showing the level of football fans expected after Valverde’s return. The “Basques” reunited once again with Ernesto, who had already demonstrated his coaching qualities at the club in previous spells. This current tenure has been particularly successful. In 2024, he brought the Copa del Rey back to Bilbao. And last season he managed to guide his team to strong results both in the Europa League (where they lost only in the semifinals to Manchester United) and in La Liga (finally reclaiming 4th place). After keeping Nico Williams in the summer, the team opened August with a series of wins… but then suffered through a very inconsistent autumn. In the Champions League they lost to everyone except Qarabag, and even Slavia Prague held them to a goalless draw at home. In La Liga they kept slipping down due to repeated setbacks. Yes, they did manage to beat modest newcomers Levante 2–0. But the derby against Real Madrid ended with a heavy 0–3 defeat. Recent performances show that Athletic struggle to maintain intensity throughout matches, often losing control in key phases. Their inability to turn possession into sustained attacking pressure has further contributed to their decline in results.
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Atletico did not have an especially successful previous season — after a significant squad renewal, they essentially managed only to return to third place in La Liga, trailing Real Madrid and Barcelona both domestically and in other competitions. The new season began poorly for the Madrid side, but this only gave Diego Simeone another chance to demonstrate why he has held his position for so long: his team transformed once again. The 5–2 victory over Real Madrid, of course, stands apart. Yet slip-ups continued, including a heavy 0–4 defeat to Arsenal. In the Champions League they managed to beat Inter. And last weekend they defeated Oviedo. But after scoring first against Barcelona, they eventually lost 1–3. Atletico’s resilience has allowed them to stay competitive even after difficult stretches, consistently finding ways to rebound with strong performances. Their recent balance between controlled possession and direct attacking play has also helped them earn crucial results in tight fixtures.
At the end of 2023 and the start of 2024, the Basques won three in a row, including a cup clash that later helped Valverde win the trophy. But since then, all three most recent meetings have ended in victories for the Madrid club. Atletico currently look more confident — we back them to beat their principled rival.
Prediction for the match: Atletico Madrid to win.
