Following Tuesday’s clash between Real Sociedad and Barcelona, Real Madrid host Athletic Bilbao for the second Supercopa de España semi-final on Wednesday.
The two sides are currently separated by 16 points in the La Liga table, with Real Madrid in second place and Athletic Bilbao down in twelfth.
Zinedine Zidane’s men head into Wednesday’s match on a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, including seven wins and two draws.
Los Blancos’ last defeat came on December 1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, but they have been in formidable form since then.
Real Madrid may only be one point behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, although it is worth noting that their cross-city rivals have three games in hand.
Despite seeing 71% possession last time out, Zidane’s side were held to a goalless draw by Osasuna. They racked up nine shots on Saturday, yet they only managed to record one on target.
It goes without saying that Real Madrid’s forward line will need to be far more clinical if they want to get past a resolute Athletic Bilbao defence.
Indeed, Athletic have only conceded 22 goals in 18 league outings this season, with all five teams directly above them in the table conceding more.
Having said that, Bilbao have struggled for goals this term. They have the joint-second worst scoring record in the top 12.
Athletic have only managed to win one of their last four matches, with one draw and two defeats coming in that time.
Despite taking the lead against Barcelona last time out, Bilbao eventually lost 3-2 on Wednesday, going down to a Lionel Messi brace.
Head-to-head: Athletic Bilbao have not beaten Real Madrid since 2015. Since then, Los Blancos have picked up seven wins, along with four draws.
In fact, Zidane’s men beat Athletic in La Liga less than a month ago, securing a 3-1 home win. Toni Kross and Karim Benzema (2) got on the scoresheet for Real Madrid, while Ander Capa netted a consolation.
Team news: Real Madrid will be without long-term absentee Rodrygo on Wednesday, while Luka Jovic and Dani Carvajal are also injury doubts.
As for Athletic Bilbao, defensive midfielder Peru Nolaskoain looks set to sit out of the semi-final due to an ankle injury.
With both Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao boasting solid defensive records, this is likely to be a tight encounter with limited goalscoring opportunities.
☕ Good morning, madridistas! Here's today's agenda ahead of tomorrow's Spanish Super Cup semi-final against @AthleticClub!19:15 CET | LIVE Press conference 💬 20:00 CET | LIVE Training 🏃♂️#RMSuperCopa | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/Y24d8VJkYn— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 13, 2021
☕ Good morning, madridistas! Here's today's agenda ahead of tomorrow's Spanish Super Cup semi-final against @AthleticClub!19:15 CET | LIVE Press conference 💬 20:00 CET | LIVE Training 🏃♂️#RMSuperCopa | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/Y24d8VJkYn
Forebet predicts that the two sides will produce a long-scoring draw on Wednesday, with under 2.5 match goals expected.