Two clubs in the top half of the Liga BBVA table will do battle today in a league match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. The first-division clash scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
What They're Saying
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos (via Inside Spanish Football): "Over the years, I've gradually been dropping further back and that's okay for me. At Real Madrid, it's important we have the right balance. Normally, we have a lot of players with pure attacking mentalities on the field, so for me it becomes almost secondary to contribute in attack."
Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde (via Inside Spanish Football): "Given all the weapons at their disposal, we must also exhaust all our own options and possibilities."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Despite not joining the attack, Kroos has been instrumental in Real Madrid's success this campaign. In 25 league appearances, the 25-year-old has seven assists and an average of 2.5 tackles.
Athletic Bilbao's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Iraizoz; Balenziaga, Laporte, Etxeita, Marcos; Rico, Gurpegi; Muniain, Benat, Susaeta; Aduriz
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Casillas; Marcelo, Pepe, Varane, Carvajal; Silva, Kroos, Isco; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid CF | 25 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 75 | 23 | 52 | 61 | |||
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 25 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 70 | 15 | 55 | 59 | |||
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 25 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 22 | 28 | 54 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 53 | |||
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 25 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 46 | |||
| 6 | Villarreal CF | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 23 | 16 | 45 | |||
| 7 | Málaga CF | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 41 | |||
| 8 | Celta de Vigo | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 32 | |||
| 9 | RCD Espanyol | 25 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 32 | 36 | -4 | 32 | |||
| 10 | Athletic Club | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 31 | -9 | 30 | |||
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 25 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 29 | |||
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 28 | 36 | -8 | 27 | |||
| 13 | Eibar | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 | 36 | -10 | 27 | |||
| 14 | Getafe CF | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 26 | |||
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruña | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 38 | -18 | 25 | |||
| 16 | Levante UD | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 25 | |||
| 17 | UD Almería | 25 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 39 | -17 | 24 | |||
| 18 | Elche CF | 25 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 45 | -23 | 24 | |||
| 19 | Granada CF | 25 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 40 | -24 | 19 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 25 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 39 | -21 | 18 |
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