Table-topping Atletico Madrid will seek to succeed where La Liga title rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid have already failed by taking maximum points from Athletic Bilbao’s new San Mames stadium tonight.
The Basque club are enjoying an excellent campaign under former Valencia manager Ernesto Valverde and currently occupy fourth position, putting them on course to return to the Champions League for the first time since 1998.
Excellent home form in their luxuriant new home has been the key to their success, with Espanyol so far the only visiting team to win a league game in Bilbao this season.
Barcelona suffered a 1-0 defeat against Athletic in December, while Real Madrid were held to an exciting 1-1 draw in February in a game that was memorable for Cristiano Ronaldo receiving a red card.
However, Atletico have already savoured success in the new San Mames, becoming the very first visitors to taste victory in the stadium with a 2-1 triumph in their Copa del Rey quarter final second leg tie in January.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone has fond memories from that encounter and is looking forward to tonight’s visit, but he is also wary of the quality of the opponents, saying: “It’s a great place to play football. “We will play against a top side. Athletic are having a very similar season to us. They’re staying up there and have great players. We will have to be at our best.”
Throughout the season, Simeone has routinely played down his team’s chances of maintaining theirtitle challenge, insisting they only look from game to game rather than chasing long-term ambitions.
Even though his team are top with just seven weeks of the season remaining, Simeone is still refusing to consider the possibility that Atletico will travel to the Nou Camp on the final day of the season for a head-to-head title decider with Barcelona.
“That would be talking hypothetically and we are strongest going game to game,” Simeone noted. “I don’t look at the schedule because when I do, it makes me nervous.”
In addition to that potential league title decider, Atletico also have a more imminent date at the Nou Camp with Tuesday’s Champions League quarter final first leg.
And Simeone didn’t rule out rotating his squad for today’s game with the midweek encounter in mind, adding: “We will see what happens. Friday was the first day that we all trained as a group. I’ll decide the starting eleven at midday.”
Athletic boss Valverde has to decide how to replace former Manchester United target Ander Herrera, who will be absent from his usual central midfield berth after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Elche.
Spain international Benat, who has endured a mixed first season at the San Mames following last year’s move from Real Betis, is likely to step in, although Erik Moran and Gaizka Toquero provide other options.
The home team’s front line will be led by top scorer Aritz Aduriz, who isn’t taking his team’s current fourth place for granted despite their lead of six, seven and eight points over Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Villarreal.
“There are still too many points to play for to discard them,” he said. “We will have to fight until the end.”
