Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Real Madrid (LaLiga MD19)

Known as the 'Old Classic', Athletic Club vs Real Madrid has been a LaLiga ever present since the competition was first formed in 1929.

It's always an exciting fixture and this season's clash should be no different. The Lions come into the game on a wave of optimism after a confidence-boosting 0-2 away win to Levante UD, whilst Real Madrid were recently held to a 1-1 draw by Girona.

A win for Athletic would put us right back into the mix for European qualification and Los Blancos will be desperate to put FC Barcelona under pressure for the top spot. All points towards another thrilling evening at The Cathedral.

 

Match Info

Athletic Club vs Real Madrid

San Mames, Bilbao

LaLiga EA Sports 25/26 (Matchday 19)

Wednesday December 3, 19:00 CET

Tickets can be purchased via this link. 

 

Team News

Ernesto Valverde has named a 23-man squad for Wednesday's clash in Bilbao. 

Iñaki Williams, Maroan and Robert Navarro are sidelined with their respective injuries, while Oihan Sancet is out suspended. Eder García and Endika Buján have been called up from Bilbao Athletic as cover. 

 

Valverde's Comments

Catch up with everything the gaffer had to say at his pre-match press conference.  
 

📢 #AthleticRealMadrid 🎙️ Ernesto Valverde

🗣️ "Winning these matches gives you a different kind of energy."

🏠 "We want to make the most out of playing in our stadium, in our fortress." #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/bhK42I0NRB

— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) December 2, 2025

 

The Opponents

Check out all our previous matches against Real Madrid. 
 

Head coach: Xabi Alonso

The Basque coach took over at the Santiago Bernabeu in June after three highly successful seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, which included winning the German treble in 2023/24, the side going unbeaten in all their domestic matches. In fact their only loss that season came at the hands of Atalanta in the Europa League final.

As a player, Alonso played in central midfield for Real Sociedad, Liverpool and Real Madrid. During his time in England he won the Champions League (2004/05) and the FA Cup (2005/06), whilst at Real Madrid he lifted the LaLiga title (2011/12), two Copas del Rey (2010/11 and 2013/14) and the Champions League (2013/14). At international level, he won two European Championships (2008 and 2012) either side of a World Cup triumph (2010).

Los Merengues have had a solid start to life under Alonso, with 10 victories, three draws and just one loss from their first 14 matches of LaLiga 2025/26.
 

Top goalscorer: Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid's French forward has 14 goals in 14 LaLiga appearances so far this season. Added to that, he's netted a further nine goals in five Champions League matches.

Before joining the Madrid side, Mbappe came up through the ranks at AS Monaco, playing a key role as the Monagasgues won the Ligue 1 title in 2016/17. 

He moved to Paris Saint-Germain whilst still just a teenager and spent seven productive seasons in the French capital, winning six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupes de France, in addition to becoming their all-time top goalscorer.

Despite a relatively shaky start to his Real Madrid career last season, the striker soon found his feet and rediscovered his goalscoring form, netting 31 times in 34 matches to win the Pichichi Trophy.
 

Recent form: WWDDD

A slight dip in form has seen Los Blancos draw their last three matches. Nonetheless, Alonso's players have suffered just one league defeat so far this season, away against Atlético Madrid in September. Apart from the previously mentioned draws, they've won every other match.

Real Madrid's most recent outing was 1-1 away draw to Girona FC on Sunday.
 

 

Previous Meetings

The two sides have met a whopping 188 times before in LaLiga, with this fixture stretching back to the very first campaign and taking place every single season.

Athletic's total league record against Los Merengues stands at: 52 wins, 37 draws and 99 losses.
 

Of the 94 clashes to have taken place in Bilbao, the Zurigorri have won 39, tied 19 and lost 36.
 

Last season, Ernesto Valverde's side beat Real Madrid at home for the first time since a famous 1-0 victory in 2014/15. From our last five matches at San Mames, we've beaten the Madrid team once and lost four times.
 

The Lions 2-1 victory at The Cathedral last season was the result of hard work and determination. An opportunistic Alex Berenguer strike opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. Jude Bellingham equalised in the 78th minute, but Nico Williams fired home a quick response to give Athletic the win.
 

 

How to Watch

Check out our global TV guide to make sure you don't miss the match. 

You can also follow the fixture, and keep up to date with everything Athletic related, through the official Athletic Club app, as well as on our website and social media accounts:

Twitter

Basque: @Athletic_eus

English: @Athletic_en

Spanish: @AthleticClub

Facebook

www.facebook.com/ATHLETICCLUB/ (Spanish + Basque)

Instagram

@athleticclub (Spanish + Basque)

Website

Basque: www.athletic-club.eus/eu/

English: www.athletic-club.eus/en/

Spanish: www.athletic-club.eus/