Real Madrid will welcome Basque- side, Athletic Bilbao, to the Santiago Bernabéu for a mid-week clash in La Liga. Here is everything you need to know about the visitors.
Last Match: Athletic Bilbao 2 – 3 Deportivo La Coruña
Athletic Bilbao is currently 13th in the league whereas their opponents for today – Real Madrid – is sitting in 3rd place. With just six more games to go, it might seem that La Liga is all but over. However, a win for Real will keep them in hunt for a second place finish.
Similarly, for the Basque side, a win will keep them in the hunt to finish in the top half of the La Liga table.
Going into this game, Bilbao will be slightly worried. They are on a bad run away from home, with just one win in their last five away games. However, manager José Ángel Ziganda’s men are a good defensive outfit, if not the best, having conceded just 38 goals all season.
Athletic Bilbao’s Defense
Based on highlights from their previous game, it seems Athletic Bilbao line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Defensively, they shift themselves into a 4-4-2 with Aduriz and Raul Garcia as the first line of press.
Their main job is to occupy the defensive midfielder and put a break on the build-up play deep in the opponent’s half. The problem for Real Madrid here is that Casemiro has not been himself and has often been vulnerable when pressed.
Behind those two, Bilbao operates in two compact banks of four. These two banks look to cut the horizontal and vertical supply, by putting a lot of pressure on the opponent ball carrier. As a result, the opponents have to get the ball to wings or turn back to start the build up again.
In case the opponent gets the ball to the wings, the Athletic players look to overload the zones and isolate the opponent winger. Therefore, the opposition has to either switch the play or look for long balls behind the Athletic defenders.
Offensively, Athletic prefer to build-up from the back. One of the deep lying midfielders drops deep to form a three man defensive line – whereas the wing backs get forward to form a 3-5-2 offensively. Bilbao displays an aggressive possession play as they push the full back high up the pitch.
In the final third, the wingers work together to advance the ball. They often look to cross the ball into the box in search of Aduriz or Raul Garcia who are good in the air.
Also, Bilbao will look to exploit space behind Marcelo. Iñaki Williams – who operates on the right – is a pacey player who can easily out-run Marcelo. As a result, Sergio Ramos will have a lot on his hands today and will expect Casemiro and Rafa Varane to be in top-gear today.