Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction 20.04.2025 | La Liga

• Competition: Spain - La Liga
• Date: Sunday, 20th, April 2025
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid)

Real Madrid are desperate to keep their title hopes alive as they welcome a tricky Athletic Bilbao side to the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga’s round 32 on Sunday.

Los Blancos head into the weekend’s domestic fixture nursing a bruised ego after their Champions League title defense came to a crashing halt with a punishing 5-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of a ruthless Arsenal side.

Unlike the Madridians, Athletic Bilbao will head to the Santiago Bernabeu with their heads held high after routinely seeing off Rangers 2-0 in front of a packed San Mames on Thursday night to punch their ticket to the semis of UEFA's second-tier competitions.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips : REAL MADRID TO WIN

The wounds are still fresh from their painful Champions League exit, but Real Madrid cannot dwell on disappointment as they must quickly regroup mentally given that they trail Barcelona by four points at the top and anything short of a win on Sunday would almost certainly crush their remaining title hopes. That heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Arsenal on home turf midweek was their third straight slip-up in front of their own fans, which means Ancelotti’s side must respond with urgency to stay in the title picture, and they’ll be boosted by a stellar home record versus Athletic Bilbao, a team they haven’t lost to in the capital in La Liga play since February 2025 while racking up 15 wins and four stalemates. Another advantage for Real Madrid is that the Basques had limited time to get ready for this challenging journey, as they were involved in a demanding European fixture on Thursday night, meaning tiredness is likely to take its toll on the field. On top of that, Bilbao's away record has been disappointing, with the own goal that secured their victory in Seville in mid-March being their only win in the last 10 trips since the beginning of 2025, so we expect Real Madrid to capitalize on this and turn it into a morale-boosting victory as they pursue Barcelona.