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Atletico Madrid play host to Athletic Bilbao at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday in La Liga, hoping to put their Copa Del Rey heartbreak behind them.
Diego Simeone's side were ousted from the competition in midweek by third division minnows Cornella after losing 1-0 in a shock exit.
Even though the Rojiblancos were missing star striker Luis Suarez, they still had several first-team players starting the match. However, they couldn't recover from Adrian Jimenez's early strike, eventually going down to 10-men after Ricard Sanchez was sent off.
On the league front, however, it's all fine and dandy so far. Atletico are still at the top of the standings, two points ahead of holders Real Madrid, with two games in hand.
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In a fine campaign so far, they've lost just once in 15 games and conceded only six times - the fewest goals conceded in La Liga.
As the season approaches the halfway mark, the capital club will be keen to bolster their title hopes with another important victory at the weekend.
Los Leones haven't been an easy prospect for them on several occasions in the past but are currently on a low ebb. Athletic Bilbao are in ninth place with just six wins from 18 games.
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Head-To-Head
The sides have clashed several times over the last century but Atletico have a good record against the Bilbao outfit in recent years. In fact, they've won seven of the last 10 league meetings with them and lost just once during this period.
Last season, the Rojiblancos won the corresponding fixture 2-0 but were held to a 1-1 stalemate in the return.
Atletico Madrid Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-L
Athletic Bilbao Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-L-W-L
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Team News
Atletico Madrid
In a big boost for the home side, Luis Suarez is set to return to the fold, while Stafen Savic will return from suspension. However, center-back Jose Gimenez picked up an injury in Wednesday's stunning loss and will miss the clash.
Injured: Jose Gimenez
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Athletic Bilbao
New manager Marcelino has no injury concerns and can field his best lineup once again.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Predicted XI
Atletico Madrid (3-5-2): Jan Oblak; Stefan Savic, Felipe Luis, Miguel Hermoso; Sime Vrsaljko, Marcos Llorente, Koke, Thomas Lemar, Yannick Carrasco; Joaquin Correa, Luis Suarez
Athletic Bilbao (4-4-2): Unai Simon; Ander Capa, Unai Nunez, Inigo Martinez, Yuri Berchiche; Oscar de Marcos, Unai Vencedor, Mikel Vesga, Iker Muniain; Raul Garcia, Inaki Williams
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
Los Rojiblancos will be looking to redeem themselves after the humiliating loss in midweek.
We expect them to do just that, with a narrow victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
