Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Atlético de Madrid (LaLiga MD15)

Athletic Club face their second of three huge consecutive matches at San Mames, this time taking on Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid as we look to make amends for Wednesday's defeat to Real Madrid.

The Zurigorri are eighth on 20 points, just five points off Real Betis in fifth, and a win on Saturday night could throw Athletic straight back into the mix for European qualification. What's more, a decent performance here would offer a vital confidence boost before we host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Wednesday.

Atlético, meanwhile, are in danger of being left behind in the title race and will be desperate for a victory which could see them move closer to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

 

Match Info

Athletic Club vs Atlético de Madrid

San Mames, Bilbao

LaLiga EA Sports 25/26 (Matchday 15)

Saturday December 6, 21:00 CET

Tickets can be purchased via this link. 
 

 

Team News

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

Iñaki Williams, Maroan and Robert Navarro are sidelined with their respective injuries. Oihan Sancet returns from suspension and Endika Buján has been called up from Bilbao Athletic as cover again. 
 

 

Valverde's Comments

The gaffer stressed that his team are eager to get back on track after Wednesday's loss against Real Madrid, insisting they'll give everything possible to beat Atlético at San Mames.

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

 

The Opponents

Check out all our previous matches against Atlético de Madrid. 
 

Head coach: Diego Simeone

The Argentinian coach is one of the longest-serving managers in modern-day football, having now spent close to 15 years in charge at Atlético.

Simeone has led Los Colchoneros through a golden age, achieving two LaLiga titles (2013/14 and 2020/21), a Copa del Rey (2012/13), two Europa Leagues (2011/12 and 2017/18)and two UEFA Super Cups (2012 and 2018), in addition to twice being runners-up in the UEFA Champions League (2013/14 and 2015/16).

 

Top goalscorer: Julián Alvarez

After scoring 17 goals in 37 appearances last season, the Argentinian striker is already on seven from 15 matches so far in 2025/26.

A record-signing from Manchester City in August 2024, 'the Spider' has fast become a crucial player for Atlético. His most recent strike came in a 3-0 victory over Sevilla FC at the beginning of November.

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Recent form: WWWWD

Simeone's side seemed to have turned a corner after a tough start to the season in which they only won once in their first five matches. However, until Tuesday' away loss to FC Barcelona, they were on a six-match winning streak which stretched back to October.

 

 

Previous Meetings

This is a fixture with a lot of history due to the special connection between our clubs. Atletico Madrid was formed by Athletic Club fans living in Madrid and used to be called Athletic Club Madrid.

Our first LaLiga encounter took place in the inaugural 1929 campaign, with Athletic winning 2-3 at the Metropolitano. In total we've met 176 times in the top flight. 

From the 88 meetings that have taken place in Bilbao, Athletic have won 45, drawn 16 and lost 27.
 

These showdowns at San Mames are always intense and decided by the smallest of margins, as evidenced by our most recent meetings.
 

Our last home league victory against Atlético came in the 2023/24 season on the same day we celebrated our 125th anniversary. Goals from Gorka Guruzeta and Nico Williams led Athletic to a memorable win at San Mames.
 

 

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/