Athletic Bilbao  | | Date/Time: | Jan. 16, 2010, 2:00pm | | Competition: | Spain La Liga | | Live/Repeat: | Live | | Real Madrid  |
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Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid Match Preview
The atmosphere at San Mames will be electric on Saturday evening when Athletic Bilbao welcome Real Madrid on match-day 18 of the Spanish Primera Division.
Real Madrid analyses
Heading into this weekend’s encounter, the Spanish giants seat just two points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona.
But who knows if things might not change at the very end of the day?
Real Madrid to overtake Barcelona?
As things stand in the table, Los Blancos will take hold of La Liga’s top spot again if they beat Athletic Bilbao in San Mames and if Barcelona succumb to defeat at home to Sevilla in Saturday’s last fixture.
Ahead of Real Madrid’s encounter this weekend, Spanish international goalkeeper Iker Casillas expressed his optimism concerning his team’s chances of taking the lead in La Liga’s table after match-day 18.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper avowed:
“I expect us to win and I think that Sevilla can beat Barcelona. This will therefore make us leaders.”
Talking about Barcelona, the Blaugrana suffered a Copa del Rey exit earlier in the week against Sevilla despite defeating them 1-0 at the end of the 90 minute.
This defeat on aggregate left Barcelona players angry and hurt so they might go out in search of a sweet revenge at all cost against their Andalusia opponents.
Barcelona will be playing with the wild desire of brushing away their 2-1 disappointing loss at the Camp Nou which they suffered in the hands of Sevilla earlier in January and which engineered their Copa del Rey exit.
Some Real Madrid fans may mock Barca’s failure and tip Sevilla to repeat their achievement in Cataluña on Saturday night.
But unlike Iker Casillas, Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso believes that people will have to wait and see whether Barcelona will be negatively affected by their anguishing Copa del Rey exit in midweek.
After all, should the Catalans repeat the 1-0 score line that they managed against Sevilla on Wednesday, it will then be enough for them to remain on top of La Liga ahead of Real Madrid.
The important thing for Los Blancos will be to focus on their own game and clinch all three points away to Athletic Bilbao before Barcelona and Sevilla close the day in what should be a fascinating clash.
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema to destroy Athletic Bilbao?
Athletic Bilbao will surely have to put a close eye on Karim Benzema on Saturday evening. The French striker will be given a rare start for Los Blancos by coach Manuel Pellegrini.
Karim Benzema will actually be replacing Gonzalo Higuain who suffered a left foot injury that will reportedly keep him out of action for at least three weeks.
Following his summer move to the Santiago Bernabeu, the former Lyon number 10 forward has endured a rather disappointing opening season for Real Madrid.
He’s been on the bench most often and he will only be making his twelfth start in twenty-six competitive matches since the beginning of the campaign.
Karim Benzema, who has been following Cristiano Ronaldo’s motivational training tips recently, knows how important it will be to perform well against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Benzema stated:
“I don’t want to waste this opportunity. Now I must prove that I belong to this team. I have a feeling that the coach is actually preparing me for the final part of the season.”
In a poll conducted by AS, Karim Benzema was favored by fans ahead of skipper Raul Gonzalez to partner Cristiano Ronaldo in attack on a regular basis in replacement of the injured Gonzalo Higuain.
Can the striker’s hunger for more playing time with Real Madrid swallow Athletic Bilbao’s defence?
Quick points on Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao
There will be a reunion between former Real Sociedad player Xabi Alonso and Athletic Bibao.
Now as a Real Madrid player, the midfielder recalls the tantalizing atmosphere that there used to be when rivals Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao met in San Mames.
“I played a number of derbies with Real Sociedad and I can say that the atmosphere was phenomenal. I think it will be the same with Real Madrid.
“The San Mames is a very special place that is very involved with its team. These are the matches that players like.”
Quick stats
Athletic Bilbao have conceded more goals at home than they’ve scored (10 goals scored compared to 11 goals allowed).
They've also won two of their last four home matches whereas Real Madrid have clinched victory only once in their last three away games.
Meanwhile, the attacking duel will be between Karim Benzema and Fernando Llorente who both have five goals in La Liga.
On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo will try and celebrate his recent achievements in the market and celebrity world by scoring his first goal of the year 2010.
Burnley, however, sit in the 14th place in the league. It’s a very respectable position for a club of Burnley's limited resources, and their relative success can be attributed to manager Owen Coyle, now managing Bolton. With three draws and three losses in their last six Premier League matches, the Clarets recent form could be seen as consistent with their league position. But they’ll need wins at some point if they want to stay ahead of the relegation zone, and new manager Brian Laws, a surprise appointment to replace Owen Coyle, will be hoping he can instill some confidence in his men, who must have been bewildered by the suddenness of Coyle’s departure.
