Real Madrid Host Athletic Bilbao in La Liga Season Finale at the Bernabéu

Overview

• Real Madrid sit second in La Liga on 83 points after a 1-0 win over Sevilla and will play the last round at the Santiago Bernabéu looking to close the campaign on a positive note.
• Athletic Bilbao are 12th with 45 points following a 1-1 draw with Celta and arrive having won only once in their last seven away games and conceded in many consecutive matches.
• Key absences include Real’s Rodrygo, sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear, and Athletic’s Benat Prados, out with an inner knee ligament injury, affecting both teams’ attacking options.
• Real are expected to use a 4-2-3-1 setup that could bring Federico Valverde into the starting midfield with Kylian Mbappé leading the attack, while the published last XIs show Courtois, Bellingham and Vinícius as likely starters.
• Long-term trends favor Real Madrid at home—they have won 79 of 122 Bernabéu meetings with Athletic—and Ernesto Valverde’s mixed personal record against Real frames Athletic’s challenge for Saturday’s match.