Real Madrid are just two points clear on top of the La Liga table with Barcelona a close second. Real Madrid would be eager to put up an emphatic win against Athletic Bilbao later tonight, after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Villarreal in their last fixture.
The La Liga is moving into the business end of the competition, and hence they would not want to make any mistakes and allow the Catalans to threaten their title chances.
Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti wants to focus on the two points lead, which they currently enjoy. "The team is improving - we've dropped two points [against Villarreal], but La Liga will be decided in the final match," Ancelotti told Real's official website.
"We have to focus on the two-point lead we've got, which isn't much, but is a lead we must make the most of."
Big teams are characterised by the way they react after defeat and Ancelotti wants his teams to come up with a good reaction.
"Now we have to carry on [against Athletic Bilbao] which will be difficult. [We will] try to produce a good reaction."
Real Madrid possesses a galaxy of stars, so there should be no reason for the team to struggle against a team, which are currently ranked 10th in the La Liga. From the 25 matches that Bilbao have played during the season, they have attained 30 points. A surprise victory against the Los Blancos side would help them climb higher in the standings table.
But Bilbao does not enjoy a good record against Real Madrid, as they have lost 17 of their last 19 league games.
Despite the poor record, Bilbao would be a confident side as they host Ancelotti's men in the La Liga, where Bilbao have been impressive in their last six outings, as they have only lost once. They need to carry this form against Madrid, though it would be a tough ask to contain the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale to name a few.
Coming into the match, Real Madrid would still be missing the key services of players such as Sergio Ramos, James Rodgriguez and Luka Modric, but have enough quality in their squad to replace them, as has been witnessed in recent past.
Though, Bilbao does not have much concern as far as injuries are concerned with only one player, Ander Iturraspe expected to miss the game.
Where to Watch Live
The game is set to begin at 12:00pm ET (10:30 pm IST, 5:00 pm GMT) with live TV coverage on Star Sports 4 in India.
Viewers in the US can catch the action live in the US on beIN Sports USA, while the game can also be live-streamed online on beIN Sports Connect ; residents of UK can catch the game live on Sky Sports5/HD with live streaming option on Sky Go.
Football fans across Indonesia can watch it live on Fox Sports Indonesia , while the Malaysian viewers can catch the action on Fox Sports Malaysia.
