La Liga, Saturday, 01/03/2025 at 9:00 p.m.
In the Spanish league, two direct neighbors in the table are fighting for a place in the sun – namely, the one that gives the best team access to the Champions League next year.
But there is even more at stake! An attack on the La Liga title is still possible! In my Atletico Madrid Athletic Bilbao prediction, I discuss the various betting opportunities that are worth taking advantage of, along with a freebet!
Have you ever wondered why the two clubs spell their nicknames differently? The answer lies in their history – and begins with a touch of British tradition.
At the end of the 19th century, English workers brought football to the Basque Country, where Athletic Club Bilbao was founded in 1898 – with the English spelling, as a sign of its British roots.
A few years later, in 1903, an offshoot was created in Madrid: Athletic Club de Madrid. But in the 1940s, the Spanish government wanted to minimize foreign-language influences. So Athletic became the Spanish-sounding Atlético.
Bilbao stuck to tradition, Madrid adapted – and so the difference remained to this day.
But enough about the history, let’s now turn to the content of my Atletico Madrid Athletic Bilbao prediction and the question of the best football bets with the highest chances of winning!
The “Rojiblancos” are in strong form and are only one point off the top of the La Liga table.
They are particularly strong at home in the Metropolitano: they have not lost here in 14 league games (9 wins, 4 draws).
In general, the Simeone team is doing well, with only one defeat in the last 25 competitive games (20 wins, 4 draws). However, they have dropped points in their last few games, drawing three of their last four matches.
A big factor in the success of the capital city team is their defensive strength. In the current season, Diego Simeone’s team has conceded only 16 goals in 25 league games, keeping 12 clean sheets – impressive numbers!
However, the wild 4-4 draw in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona showed that things can go the other way. Although Atletico rotated heavily in that game, the defensive vulnerability is likely to be an issue for the coaching staff nonetheless.
Nevertheless, the team is in top form and wants to extend its home winning streak against Athletic Bilbao. Personally, I have no doubt that the defense will be much more stable this time!
Bilbao, however, is also coming into the game full of confidence. The 7-1 win over Valladolid was not only a clear statement, but also gave their goal difference a huge boost.
Even more impressive, though, is their current form: Bilbao have not been beaten in 16 league games (9 wins, 7 draws) – the club’s longest run since 1930!
However, the head-to-head does not favor the Basques: in the league, they have not won against Madrid in 13 away games (2 draws, 11 defeats).
A bogey team, then? Not necessarily, because last season in the Copa del Rey, Bilbao managed an important victory in Madrid, when they won the semi-final first leg and later even won the trophy.
This memory should inspire the team. In addition, the Basques are stable and difficult to beat away from home, even though their last La Liga win over Simeone’s team away from home was over a decade ago.
The question now is whether the “Rojiblancos’” strong home record will prevail or whether Bilbao can break the historic negative streak.
The fact is that both teams are in top form going into this game, which promises to be an exciting encounter with an open outcome!
Let’s now turn to the best betting scenarios, which could be worth trying out in conjunction with the Betano promo code.
Did you know, for example, that Bilbao have not led at half-time in any of their last six competitive away games?
Here, in my opinion, you are spoilt for choice between “Atletico win the first half” and “Draw at half-time” at odds of 2.55 and 2.05 respectively on average – depending on the favored betting provider with PayPal!
In addition, you should pay attention to the fact that Julian Alvarez for Atletico during his last 12 appearances only in four games was not directly involved in a goal by his team.
The Argentine top performer had a hand in a total of four goals in his last two appearances against Valencia and Barcelona alone (3 goals, 1 assist).
It goes without saying that I am particularly impressed by the Alvaraz-trifft-quote of around 2.87 for next Saturday!
Overall, this is usually a La Liga pairing with few goals, and I expect the Basques in particular to play a very defensive game on Saturday.
14 of the last 15 head-to-head encounters have stayed under 3.5 goals – 12 of them even ended with less than three goals in total!
However, since I consider Simeone’s team to be a touch stronger, the hosts should not come away empty-handed even if the game is indeed uneventful.
My Atletico Madrid Athletic Bilbao: Tipp DC 1X & Under 3.5 goals.
