La Liga betting preview: La Liga: Atlético Madrid looking to keep Real Madrid and Barcelona at bay

La Liga: Atlético Madrid looking to keep Real Madrid and Barcelona at bay

The La Liga title race has been thrilling. It’s still so close, and we’re not sure who will be crowned champions. In this preview, we will look ahead to the penultimate round of fixtures on Sunday afternoon, which sees Athletic Bilbao host Real Madrid, while Atlético Madrid will entertain Osasuna. 

Real Madrid looking to get back to winning ways after Champions League heartache

Real Madrid will be eager to get back on the winning trail, as they were dumped out in the Champions League semi-finals by Chelsea. Last weekend, Real were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla, and they had to come from behind twice. Eden Hazard popped up with a 90th-minute equalizer to rescue a point for Los Blancos.

As things stand, reigning La Liga Champions Real are third in the table, but it is so tight at the top that three points would change everything again. Zinedine Zidane’s charges are two points adrift of Atlético Madrid, and at the time of writing, they had three games left to play. Before they take on Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, Real will travel to face mid-table Granada on Thursday.

Athletic Bilbao have outside chance of Europa League spot

While unlikely, Athletic Bilbao are still within a sniff of a Europa League spot. As things currently stand, Bilbao are ninth in the La Liga table after 35 games played, and with three games remaining, they are six points adrift of sixth-placed Villarreal. However, Villarreal may have one eye on the Europa League final, which could enable Bilbao to pip them to a top-six finish.

Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid: head to head

As far as La Liga encounters go, Real Madrid dominate the head-to-head. Indeed, in 55 previous Spanish top-flight meetings, Real have come out on top 34 times, while Bilbao have prevailed on 11 occasions. Earlier this term, Real beat Bilbao 3-1 at home. On that day Toni Kroos and a Karim Benzema double sealed the win for Zidane’s men.

Zinedine Zidane prepared to take the positives after Sevilla draw

Although there was late drama against Sevilla, Real haven’t thrown in the towel. Zidane was pleased with the reaction his players showed when coming from behind. He said: “We feel good. My players showed their commitment.” Real will have to display the same fighting spirit if they are going to deny Atletico a first La Liga title since 2014.

Atlético Madrid can’t get ahead of themselves as finishing line comes into view

For Atlético Madrid, the finishing line is coming into view, and nerves will inevitably start to kick in. Although Atlético suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat away to Bilbao at the end of last month, Diego Simeone’s men responded by beating Elche 1-0 on the road. Then, they followed that up by securing a point in a goalless draw away to Barcelona.

It is hard to tell how significant the draw away to Barça will be in the context of the title race; however, it was still a mature performance. Atlético can’t expect that Barça and Real Madrid will drop away as they both have pedigree when it comes to winning the Championships. It could be a case of who blinks first will pay the price!

Simeone has bred a winning mentality and Atlético have become more entertaining to watch. The way in which they get over the finishing line this term won’t matter to their fans as long as they do. There could be more twists and turns, and while Atlético has headed La Liga for large chunks of the campaign, they won’t want their hard work to come undone.

Atlético Madrid v Osasuna: A look back at past clashes

Atlético will be relishing the chance to face Osasuna on Sunday and add to their tally of wins. In the head-to-head record, there have been 31 clashes between the two sides, with Atlético coming out on top 18 times, while Osasuna has tasted victory on 10 occasions. In the last meeting, Atlético ran out 3-1 winners, with João Félix scoring a double.

Although Ante Budimir pulled one back for the hosts in the 80th minute, Lucas Torreira made sure of the victory by slotting home with two minutes of normal time remaining. With nothing essentially for Osasuna to play for, a clash with Atlético is a dead rubber. But Osasuna could play a pivotal role in the title race.

Believe it or not, anything can still happen. Barcelona bottled their chance to go top after surrendering a 2-0 lead against Levante to draw 3-3, but they are technically still in the race.

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