Real Madrid welcome Athletic Club to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this Wednesday night in the rescheduled LaLiga Santander Matchday 9 meeting between the two teams. Los Blancos have the chance to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table with a victory, while Los Leones will be looking to record their first victory since October 23. Stay with us for all the build-up to Real Madrid vs Athletic Club and then updates from the match itself.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club LIVE SCORE: 0-0
This is the start of our Real Madrid vs Athletic Club live blog, with updates from this highly anticipated LaLiga Santander fixture following on from here. As always, the entries nearest the top are the most recent ones.
17:00 GMT: Real Madrid vs Athletic Club preview
On Wednesday evening Real Madrid host Athletic Club in their rescheduled LaLiga Santander Matchday 9 clash. Los Blancos will be looking to extend their excellent run of form, as well as their lead over rivals Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
After drawing with Osasuna on October 27, Carlo Ancelotti's side have won six on the trot, racking up victories against Elche, Shakhtar Donetsk, Rayo Vallecano, Granada, Sheriff Tiraspol and Sevilla. In fact, they haven't lost since October 3 against Espanyol and have only lost once at home all season, with that coming against Sheriff in the Champions League in September.
Los Leones, on the other hand, have had a less than inspiring start to the 2021/22 season, although, largely thanks to having the best defensive record in LaLiga Santander, they find themselves seventh, just three points behind Barcelona. Marcelino's side are winless in five, but they lost just one of those games, against Cadiz on November 5.
Last season, Real Madrid beat Athletic Club home and away in LaLiga Santander, although the Basque side did beat them in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final. Looking strictly at league fixtures, however, Los Blancos are currently on a 12-game unbeaten run against the Zurigorri.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club team news
Carlo Ancelotti is still without Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos, although neither player would likely have had much involvement on Wednesday anyway. In fact, the Italian should still be able to field an unchanged team from the weekend.
Marcelino, meanwhile, will be without the suspended Inigo Martinez after the centre-back was sent off against Granada. Elsewhere, Inaki Williams and Alex Berenguer could return to the starting line-up after featuring from the bench on Friday.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club predicted line-ups
Real Madrid predicted line-up (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
Athletic Club predicted line-up (4-4-2): Unai Simon; Inigo Lekue, Yeray Alvarez, Unai Nunez, Mikel Balenziaga; Alex Berenguer, Unai Vencedor, Dani Garcia, Iker Muniain; Raul Garcia, Inaki Williams.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club: When does it start?
The LaLiga Santander game between Real Madrid and Athletic Club at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu will kick off at 21:00 CET. That means a 20:00 kick off for viewers in the UK, while for those in the United States, that's 15:00 ET and 12:00 PT.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Club: Where to watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch Real Madrid vs Athletic Club on LaLiga TV, while those in the USA can tune into ESPN or fuboTV.