Watch Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid live stream free in a match that could see Los Blancos tie Atletico Madrid and Barcelona for La Liga’s first place. Currently Real trails by two points.
This is Rafa Benitez’s first true test as the new manager of one of the top teams in all of football. Last weekend, Benitez narrowly won against the much weaker Granada (1-0), a match they played at the Santiago Bernabeu. This was in stark contrast to last year’s game which Real won handily, 9-0. Fans were on the edge of their seats this time around, a place they’re not used to.
If you watch Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid live stream free, you will see how Benitez continues to adjust to his new position and how he uses the very talented pool of players at his disposal. Real Madrid are undefeated in five matches, with four wins and one draw with the help of goalie Keylor Navas , who is 72 minutes away from breaking Real Madrid’s record of clean sheets to start a season, according to ESPN .
Navas only needs to another 10 scoreless minutes to match Iker Casillas’s club record in a season – 460 minutes without conceding a goal, which according to some experts is a clear testament to Benitez’s influence even this early in the season.
Meanwhile, Athletic’s manager is not pleased with his team’s start to the season and knows they desperately need a win, but we are talking about Real Madrid here.
“We haven’t started the season well. Three points in the league are far too few and it’s the league which tells you if you’re doing the right or wrong things and if you’re not doing well in the league, things become tense. Therefore we have to win. I know Madrid are next, but we need a win.”
Watch Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid live stream to see how Benitez will manage without starters Gareth Bale (calf injury), James Rodriguez (thigh injury), and Sergio Ramos (shoulder injury). Striker Cristiano Ronaldo has to assert himself if Los Blancos are to prevail, after last weekend’s near disaster, fans are concerned.
These are the possible lineups for Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao: Iraizoz; De Marcos, Gurpegi, Laporte, Balenziaga; San Jose, Rico; Sabin, Eraso, Aketxe; Aduriz.
Real Madrid: : Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos; Vasquez, Isco, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Watch Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid live stream HERE . Kick-off is at 3 p.m. ET.
[Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images]