Athletic Club – Real Madrid: Real Grind To Another Post-Lockdown Win (0-1)

Firmly league leaders, Real Madrid's matchup with Athletic Club was billed as the biggest barrier to the visitors winning the domestic title. In a tight affair where both defenses stood firm, Sergio Ramos intervened from twelve yards to separate the two teams.
Tactical analysis by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Athletic Club remain a stable outfit under the stewardship of Gaizka Garitano. With a focus on directness and defensive organization, results have stabilized without pushing the side above mid-table. However, the hosts have climbed to eighth place after a run of three wins from the last four games. Now harboring faint hopes of Europa League football, a positive result would keep them alive.

Real Madrid have been in regal form since the resumption of LaLiga football. Six wins from six have seen the guests establish a four-point gap over nemesis Barcelona at the summit of the table. With five games of the campaign left, a victory here would be a significant step towards a first league title since 2017.

Athletic Club set up in their usual 4-4-2 formation. Coming into this fixture after an impressive 2-0 winagainst Valencia, Garitano sent out an unchanged team.

Zinedine Zidane meanwhile heavily rotated his team, making five changes to the team that started against Getafe. The most notable change was Éder Militão’s inclusion in place of Raphaël Varane, who had suffered a freak injury. Elsewhere, Federico Valverde deputized for Toni Kroos in the side’s 4-3-3 shape.

Balanced structures and a typical outcome
Real Madrid . . .