Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Real Madrid (LaLiga MD18)

With hardly any time to rest and with spirits high after qualifying for the Copa quarter-finals, Athletic Club are back at San Mamés.

The Lions welcome Real Madrid to San Mames, where fans and team will do everything they can to get a win which could push Athletic closer to those European places.

Los Blancos are second in LaLiga, behind FC Barcelona, and come into the fixture off the back of a Spanish Super Cup final defeat to the Catalans and a comeback victory over Villarreal in the Copa del Rey.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs Real Madrid (Matchday 18)

San Mames (Bilbao)

LaLiga Santander 22/23

Sunday January 22, 21:00 CET

How to Watch
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Team News
Valverde has named a 23-man squad for the clash. The only major absences are Iñigo Martínez, who remains sidelined with a heel injury, and Yeray, who is serving a one-match ban.

Valverde's Comments
Catch up with everything the Gaffer had to say at his pre-match press conference.

The Opponents

Head coach: Carlo Ancelotti

The Italian tactician has an enviable CV, being one of the most successful coaches in the history of the game.

In his near 30-year career as a boss he has led a wide range of massive clubs such as: Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid (two stints), Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton.

His managerial trophy cabinet is impressive and includes: one Serie A (2003/04), one Ligue 1, one LaLiga, one Bundesliga, one Premier League, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey, FA Cup and four Champions Leagues.

Danger man: Vinicius Junior

The Brazilian speedster has taken LaLiga by storm with his pace and power. Still just 22 years old, Vinicius joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2018.

He has 47 goals in 196 senior appearances for Los Blancos. So far this season the winger is on six strikes from 16 LaLiga matches.

Recent form (LaLiga): DLWWL

Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 away defeat against Villarreal in their last LaLiga fixture, one of just two losses all season. What's more, Los Blancos are LaLiga Santander's top scorers with 36 goals in 16 matches.

Previous Meetings
Since their first meeting all the way back in the inaugural LaLiga season of 1928/29, Athletic Club and Real Madrid have played a total of 182 top-flight matches against each other, with Los Leones racking up 51 wins, 36 draws and 95 losses.

As for the 91 league matches played at San Mamés, the balance hangs slightly in Athletic's favour with 38 wins, 19 draws and 34 defeats so far.

With respect to the last five matches in Bilbao, Athletic have managed two draws, although they have lost the three most recent meetings.

Athletic Club's last league victory over Real Madrid at The Cathedral came in the 2014/15 campaign. Los Leones, led by Ernesto Valverde, recorded a 1-0 win thanks to an iconic header by Aritz Aduriz.

Outside of LaLiga, Los Rojiblancos also managed a famous win against Los Blancos in last season's Copa quarter-finals, Alex Berenguer's 89th-minute strike seeing Athletic through to the semis.