Athletic Club Bilbao will be on a high as they welcome defending La Liga Champions Real Madrid to the Estadio San Mamés this weekend. Bilbao had a wonderful 3-0 win in their last outing against Valencia away from home. The win consolidated their position in the middle of the La Liga table and Bilbao will want to repeat the same against Real Madrid as well.

Fran Yeste opened the scoring against Valencia and victory was made even sweeter by two goals from Fernando Llorente. Bilbao have had mixed results in the La Liga so far. They win a game, but quickly sink to defeat in their next outing. They will have to guard against this complacency against Real Madrid.

Coach Joaquin Caparros was understandably upset after the side let Deportivo come back and equalize to draw the game 2-2 and demanded a better performance from his players, which he got last weekend. Goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz and full-back Asier Del Horno are still out with undisclosed injuries, while Aitor Ocio can make a comeback after serving out a one-match ban. Bilbao are 11th on the La Liga table with 17 points from 14 games.

Real Madrid on the other hand continue to have a great season and look well on course of defending their La Liga crown. The Galacticos trounced Racing Santander 3-1 in their last encounter thanks to two goals from Raul and one from Sanchez.

Real got back to winning ways following their 3-2 defeat at Werder Bremen, which means they still need a point if they are to ensure progression in the UEFA Champions League. Gabriel Heinze, Guti, Javier Balbao, Roberto Soldado, Jordi Codina and Michel Salgado continue to be sidelined for various reasons, while Wesley Sneijder and Fabio Cannavaro made a comeback to the squad against Racing Santander.

Real Madrid top the La Liga table with 32 points from 14 games. Last season this fixture ended in a 1-4 win for the visitors.

Watch Athletic Club Bilbao v Real Madrid Live on free-football.tv.