Real Madrid looks to make it four domestic victories in a row when Carlo Ancelotti's men face Athletic Bilbao.
What was once a nine-point gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid atop the La Liga table is now down to four. Los Blancos, though, have two games in hand. To keep the pressure on the Catalans, the defending Spanish and European champions must collect all three points from Athletic Bilbao, their toughest La Liga opponent in over a month.
Athletic Bilbao is on a nine-game unbeaten run and currently sits fourth in the La Liga standings. The 2024 Copa del Rey champions will have the support of the home crowd as they look to take advantage of an injury-riddled Real Madrid side.
The visitors are still without the injured Vinícius Júnior, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, but Rodrygo and Aurélien Tchouaméni are back with the team, handing Los Blancos a much-needed injury boost. Jude Bellingham also is fit to play despite coming off at halftime against Getafe after a collision with David Soria*.*
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Ernesto Valverde's men on Dec. 4.
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GK: Thibaut Courtois—The goalkeeper will look to record his sixth domestic clean sheet of the season.
RB: Lucas Vázquez—The Spaniard faces his toughest test yet since returning from injury against Nico Williams.
CB: Raúl Asencio—Even with Tchouaméni back in the team, Asencio's impressive and physical performances more than earned him a spot alongside Rüdiger.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Rüdiger deserves plenty of credit for helping a depleted backline keep three consecutive clean sheets in La Liga.
LB: Fran García—The 25-year-old could make way for Ferland Mendy to return to the XI, but García has won the recent competition on the left flank. The defender brings a much greater attacking threat to Real Madrid than Mendy.
CM: Fede Valverde—Valverde's brief stint on the right flank is over, though he will still have pitch in on the team's defensive duties should Vázquez need help against Williams.
CM: Luka Modrić—The biggest question mark surrounding Real Madrid's lineup comes in the middle of the park. With Tchouaméni, Dani Ceballos and Modrić all vying for the start, the Croatian brings the most creativity to the midfield along with fresh legs after playing just 23 minutes at the weekend.
CM: Jude Bellingham—With three goals in as many La Liga matches for Bellingham, the England international has stepped up in Vinícius Júnior's absence.
RW: Brahim Díaz—Díaz might not have the goals to show for it, but the Morocco international creates plenty of chances for Los Blancos when given the freedom up top.
ST: Rodrygo—The Brazilian scored three goals in Real Madrid's two matches against Athletic Bilbao last season and will look to replicate his performances on Wednesday.
LW: Kylian Mbappé—Mbappé now has two goals in his last two La Liga appearances, but the Frenchman still has yet to look like the same player who scored 44 goals for Paris Saint-Germain last season.
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