Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid lineups, expected starting 11, confirmed team news, injuries: Tchouameni to return? | Sporting News

Real Madrid face a crunch La Liga trip to Athletic Club on December 4 as the title race in La Liga steps up a gear.

Barcelona’s recent stumbles in league action have gifted Los Blancos a chance to increase the pressure on their Clasico rivals. Carlo Ancelotti’s team sealed a 2-0 win over Getafe to close to within a point of the Catalans at the top of the table.

That result gave the champions a morale boost ahead of their journey to the Basque Country and they can really put the squeeze on Barcelona with a positive result in Bilbao. Indeed, should Barca fail to beat Mallorca on Tuesday, Madrid could potentially go top of the table this week.

The Sporting News brings you the latest team news and predicted lineups ahead of this La Liga game.

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Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid lineups, predicted starting 11, team news

Athletic Club head into this game on the back of a 2-1 win away to Rayo Vallecano in their latest La Liga outing. They are also boosted by a key return, with Benat Prados back from a one-game ban.

Athletic Club predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left):  Agirrezabala (GK) — De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Lekue — Ruiz de Galaretta, Prados, Sancet — N. Williams, Djalo, I. Williams.

Injured: Herrera
Suspended: None

Real Madrid land in Bilbao with a real chance to push for ending 2024 as La Liga leaders, but Ancelotti’s team are without some key stars.

David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal remain long-term injury absentees, with Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior not expected to be back in action until mid-December.

However, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is back in contention following a sprained ankle and could start for the visitors.

Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy — Modric, Valverde, Ceballos — Rodrygo, Mbappe, Guler.

Injured: Alaba (knee), Militao (knee), Carvajal (knee), Vinicius Jr (thigh), Camavinga (hamstring).
Suspended: None

Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid live stream, TV channel

Here’s how to watch this La Liga match across selected areas of the world’s major regions: