Athletic Club and Real Madrid kick off their season this Saturday at San Mamés (9:30 p.m. CEST, -1 GMT) in a match between two classic teams from the League, who have never been relegated and who will not have regular players in recent seasons , two per team, such as the Spanish Íñigo Martínez and Yeray Álvarez at the locals and the French Karim Benzema and the Belgian Thibaut Courtois at the visitors.
It also unites both teams in two pre-seasons far from brilliant, although for Athletic the fact that the preparation has not exactly attracted attention is not something that worries them too much.
What makes it more so is that Ernesto Valverde does not have important players at his disposal, in addition to Yeray, Yuri Berchiche, Dani García and Alex Berenguer. This last protagonist, in the Cup, of the last Bilbao triumph in La Catedral against the white team.
Almost all of these absences especially affect a defensive framework that without Yeray and Iñigo has lost consistency and without Dani also a center midfielder specialized in this type of duel.
For this reason, Valverde will be forced to shoot on the left wing of Lekue, a usual resource to solve these contingencies, and a couple of central defenders who, without those absent on the field, seem to lower the level, Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes.
Ahead of them, and of a Unai Simón already very established in the ownership of the Spanish team, Valverde will be able to pull his starting block in attack. Including Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet, the pearls called to lead the Basque team in the immediate future.
Nico has gone through different physical problems in the summer and Sancet, as well as Paredes and the goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, has later joined the preparation for having been in the European sub-21.
Together with the two emerging youngsters, it seems that the classics Iker Muniain and Iñaki Williams will take charge of the rojblanco attack tomorrow. Both, moreover, in their positions of yesteryear.
Willliams points to ‘9’ as Valverde does not have too much confidence in other forwards such as Gorka Guruzeta, Asier Villalibre, Raúl García and Javier Martón, this top scorer of the preseason after arriving from Real Sociedad destined to be transferred. Captain Muniain aims to return to playing leaning to the left after starting last year as a midfielder and then losing presence.
To prop up that team, in the double pivot, the usual Mikel Vesga and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, the only important signing of the season and initially ahead of Ander Herrera to play alongside the most positional midfielder.
For his part, in the chapter of absences at Real Madrid is that of Benzema, who closed his stage of 14 seasons in the white team at the end of last season, while Courtois suffered a serious injury, a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee, in training on Thursday.
With these casualties, Real Madrid begins a new stage without two of its leaders and without the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé despite it being the third consecutive summer in which he has been linked to the white team, which, however, does have new faces that They will be very important during the season, especially the Englishman Jude Bellingham.
The midfielder arrived from Borussia Dortmund in exchange for 100 million euros and an extra 30% in variables, he has started in all four preseason games and will also be part of the game at San Mamés in a midfield that will change his drawing.
The Italian Carlo Ancelotti has tried the 4-4-2 diamond pattern throughout the season, leaving the classic 4-3-3 aside and is expected to do the same against Athletic Club.
A drawing of four midfielders, the position in which the white team has the most competition. As seen in the preseason, the German Toni Kroos and the Croatian Luka Modric aim to start from the bench, but the “old guard” must not be left for dead. If so, the French Aurelien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga, together with the Uruguayan Fede Valverde, would escort a Bellingham who will act as a hitch with a lead in which there is no doubt: the Brazilians Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Junior, the new ‘7’ of the Real Madrid; leader.
In defense, the novelty will be Fran García. Formed in the Madrid youth academy, he arrived from Rayo Vallecano to strengthen a position that was limping due to injuries to Frenchman Ferland Mendy. And the Frenchman was injured in preseason; so the position belongs to Fran.
And in goal, without Courtois and waiting for Real Madrid’s movements in the market, the Ukrainian Andriy Lunin will play his eighteenth game with the white team, his tenth in the League. Ancelotti conveyed his confidence to him at a press conference, although he at the same time values the club incorporating another goalkeeper.
– Probable lineups:
Athletic Club: Unai Simón; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Lekue; Vesga, Galarreta; Nico Williams, Sancet, Muniain; and Inaki Williams.
Real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Fran Garcia; Tchouaméni, Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Vinicius and Rodrygo
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Extremadura Committee).
Stadium: San Mames.
Time: 9:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. GMT).
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positions:
The key: The ability of both teams to overcome their important absences.
The stat: Real Madrid have gone on a string of four consecutive league victories and eight straight games without losing at San Mamés.
The phrases:
. Óscar De Marcos: “Madrid have been winning or fighting to win the league for many years. They have lost some important player, but they have strengthened well.”
. Carlo Ancelotti: “The confidence is total in Lunin. In the next few days we will think about whether to sign one more goalkeeper”.
The environment: Athletic fans are somewhat disappointed with their team after another year without Europe. Besides. Due to a disagreement with the club due to the sanctions it receives for certain chants, part of the entertainment crowd has decided not to animate tomorrow.
