Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips [16 January 2022]

The defending Spanish Super Cup champions Athletic Club get a chance to defend their crown when they take on a Real Madrid side seeking their 12th triumph in the competition. The match, taking place in Saudi Arabia, will see the two sides facing off for a third time in under two months. Real Madrid were victorious in their previous two encounters, both taking place in La Liga, although Athletic Club will justifiably feel hard done by the results - the Basque side played Madrid extremely well and probably deserved at least three points from the encounters. Athletic Club are coming off a fantastic come from behind 2-1 victory over Atletico, while Madrid beat fierce rivals Barcelona 3-2 thanks to an extra time goal from Fede Valverde. Both sides are in good form with Athletic Club unbeaten in their last four, winning three, and Real Madrid having only lost once in their last 17 matches.

Athletic Club boast the second sturdiest defensive record in the league, conceding only 17 goals in 21 matches. They set themselves up as an extremely hard to break down side, especially when playing away from home. The Lions have won two, drawn eight and lost just once away from home, scoring seven goals and conceding just five times in 11 matches. Real Madrid will surely lean on the outstanding form of both Karim Benzema, who is having one of his best seasons at 34 years of age, and young Brazilian wonderkid Vinicious Junior, who is also enjoying his best season in the Los Blancos shirt. Judging by previous results between the two sides, we are likely to see a very tightly contested match here. While Los Merengues come into this match as favorites given their dominating performance in the league, Athletic Club manager Marcelino seems to have devised a very effective game plan to deal with Ancelloti’s men. We could very well see the Basques getting a result here in their third crack against the giants from Madrid. 

Athletic Club on the double chance will be our bet for this one. This should be a tight match and we could see this one finishing 1-1 and going to extra time. Another very attractive bet is Athletic Club on the +1 Asian Handicap as if they do lose, it is likely to just be by a one goal margin. Third time could be a charm for Marcelino’s men here and we like the excellent odds offered by backing them to get a result.