Atletico’s uncomfortable visit to the unloved San Mames
A mixed start to the season for Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos are still unbeaten after three matchdays, but only have one win to their name. The 0-0 draw against promoted Espanyol during the week was particularly disappointing. On matchday 4, however, three points are not a foregone conclusion, but rather the threat of a complete false start: Atletico visit the San Mames in Bilbao on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Atletico have often struggled here recently, with two sobering performances and defeats last season, including a resounding slap in the face in the Copa del Rey. However, the Basques are not yet doing well either, so making a reliable Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid prediction in the three-way is not easy at first glance
However, the Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid odds make it possible to make interesting predictions for this match. In this preview, we will discuss which ones offer good value and which Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid betting tip we will finally make, including interesting statistics and a direct comparison.
Athletic Bilbao – stats & current form
Draw, defeat, win – four points and exactly one goal scored in every game. That is Athletic Bilbao’s opening record in the still young season. A tired 1-1 draw at home to Getafe was followed by a 2-1 defeat in Barcelona, before a well-deserved 1-0 win over Valencia on Wednesday.
The reigning cup winners and last year’s fifth-placed team are not yet on the right track, even though they have finally secured their first (liberating) three-pointer – and this year, ideally, they should finally be aiming for the Champions League places.
Athletic Bilbao already had a say in fourth place last season, before the Basques ran out of steam late on in the duel with Atletico Madrid – a defeat at the Metropolitano pulled the plug on Bilbao and sealed fifth place for good.
Athletic Bilbao vs. Atletico Madrid: Bet on home win thanks to fortress San Mames?
The second home game in just a few days is now coming up, against Atletico – the hope of another home win is naturally there. This is also due to their recent record against Atletico (more on this in the direct comparison section) and their home strength: the San Mames is traditionally a fortress, with Athletic Club only losing one home game last season. In addition, they only conceded 18 goals in 19 home games, with only three teams having a more solid defense at home.
In view of this record, the Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid betting tip for a home win is very interestingly priced. The Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid odds for this bet are 2.90 on average, with Winamax even beating them slightly and currently offering a top price of 3.00.
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Atletico Madrid – stats & current form
Atletico Madrid have also had a mixed start to the season, which they had expected to be somewhat different. This is particularly due to the sobering 0-0 draw at home to Espanyol Barcelona on Wednesday. Despite having the upper hand, 60 percent possession, 25 shots on goal and an xG value of around 2.5, Atletico were unable to put the ball in the visitors’ net – at least not from a legal position, as two goals were disallowed for offside.
So a frustrating evening ended in a 0-0 draw, the second point loss in three matchdays, as the opening game was a wild 2-2 draw at FC Villarreal. A confidence-boosting 3-0 win over Girona was followed by a setback against Espanyol – and now they head to San Mames for one of La Liga’s toughest away games
Atletico Madrid already under pressure in Bilbao
The Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid betting odds are still slightly in favor of the Madrilenian visitors, which could possibly be due to all the reinforcements Atletico have made. However, Alexander Sörloth and Julian Alvarez, the two expensive new attackers, have yet to shine as hoped – Sörloth has one goal for the season, while Alvarez is still waiting for one.
Atletico are in Bilbao with just one win and already under a bit of pressure, as a false start looms. A defeat at the San Mames would not necessarily be a surprise blow, as they have rarely won here recently
Predicted line-up for Atletico Madrid:
Athletic Bilbao – Atletico Madrid head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Athletico do not travel to the Basque Country. Atletico lost the last two games in the San Mames last season 0:3 (cup) and 0:2 (league) and were hopelessly outclassed in both cases. Atletico have also failed to score in three of their last four games at San Mames. Athletic Club Bilbao have even won six of their last ten matches.
The overall record also illustrates the balance in this great traditional duel: they have met a whopping 202 times, with 76 wins for Athletic Bilbao, 45 draws and 91 victories for Atletico Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao – Atletico Madrid betting tip
This match is likely to be a fiercely contested duel at eye level – even if the last two duels of this kind at the same venue suggested otherwise, as Bilbao were clearly superior in the last two home games. Has coach Simeone’s side learned the right lessons and will they now be able to put up a better fight – and possibly even win?
After all, Bilbao are not yet in the form that the team from the Basque Country have been in for large parts of the season. Their home performance against Getafe, for example, was rather tired and uninspired. That gives Atletico hope – also because the team put in a good performance against Espanyol, even if the ball didn’t want to cross the line. We are now assuming that this will happen again in this match – for both teams. That way, Atletico could once again take something tangible from the San Mames.
We therefore give the Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid prediction on X2 and BTS. Because it is extremely difficult to reliably predict the outcome of this often hard-fought traditional duel in the three-way
