Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid (LaLiga MD17)

We're ready for an exciting evening in Bilbao. The Athleticzale family will see out the 125th anniversary with a brilliant day full of events and our LaLiga Matchday 17 fixture against Atlético Madrid.

A positive result would push Athletic even further towards European qualification and be the cherry on top of a year full of celebrations.

Ernesto Valverde's Lions have not tasted defeat in eight matches (six of them in LaLiga) and will be relishing the test of keeping that run going against Diego Simeone's side.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid

San Mames, Bilbao

LaLiga EA Sports 23/24 (Matchday 17)

Saturday December 16, 16:15 CET

How to Watch
A complete TV guide with global channels and kick-off times for the fixture.

Team News
Valverde is taking a 22-man squad for the big match in Bilbao

Yeray Álvarez and Dani García remained sidelined, while Oscar de Marcos has sprained his ankle, Iker Muniain is out with an illness, and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta has a calf strain.

Mikel Jauregizar and Hugo Rincón have been brought up from Bilbao Athletic as cover.

Valverde's Comments
The gaffer said the players need to put the 125th anniversary celebrations to one side and focus on getting the three points against a "tough" and "competitive" side.

The Opponents

Head coach: Diego Simeone

The current longest-serving manager in LaLiga, Simeone has turned Atlético into a major European force. A former international midfielder, 'Cholo' took over Los Colchoneros in December 2011. Since then, the Madrid-based outfit have won two LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey and two Europa Leagues, in addition to twice finishing runners-up in the Champions League.

Top goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann

The France international, in his second spell at Atlético, has scored nine goals in 15 appearances so far this season.

Discovered by Real Sociedad, the forward spent his first five seasons in professional football in Donostia. Strong performances saw him move to Atlético Madrid in July 2014. He quickly became a key cog in Simeone's side, scoring a total of 133 goals across six seasons.

In 2019, Griezmann made a big money move to FC Barcelona. However, he never truly settled in Catalunya and returned to Atlético on loan two years later. Despite a difficult first season, Los Colchoneros made the move permanent and his form has steadily improved.

He's had great success at international level, earning 127 caps and bagging 44 goals for Les Bleus. He was a major part of the team which won the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Recent form: LWWLW

A solid first half of the season sees Atlético sit in third place with 34 points from 15 fixtures. Los Colchoneros have 11 matches, drawn one and lost three. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 home victory over UD Almería last Sunday.

Previous Meetings
Athletic and Atlético have played each other a total of 172 times in LaLiga. The first meeting was a 2-3 away victory for Los Leones in the inaugural season of 1928/29.

The two sides have faced each other 86 times in LaLiga at The Cathedral, with the Zurigorri recording 44 victories, 16 draws and 26 defeats against Los Colchoneros.

San Mames has stood firm in Atlético's five most recent visits to Bilbao. Athletic have won three, drawn once and lost last season.

Our last home victory against Atlético came towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign. A Mario Hermoso own goal plus an Iñaki Williams penalty saw Los Rojiblancos run out 2-0 winners at San Mames.