Preview: Easily one of the toughest grounds in La Liga. We'll be heading there without James, Danilo, Bale and possibly Ramos. Not trying to pile up the pressure, but this is a must-win game for us. We gave a sub-par performance against Granada, mainly because the opponent was in their best day, and partly because we started bench quality players - some players are just good enough to come off the bench when the game is already or almost wrapped up. Not to mention that the absence of James and Bale has started to make its presence felt. Let's hope we can manage until they come back.

Notable Absentees:

James: sidelined with a tear in his left thigh muscle.
Bale: sidelined with a soleus muscle injury in his left leg.
Ramos: sidelined with a dislocated acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder.
Danilo: sidelined with a plantar fasciitis tear in his right foot.

Probable Lineup:

Chaaaarge!

Pos Bilbao rested most of their most important players instead of focusing on winning the Villarreal game, they are focusing more on beating us

After Saturdays showing I am pretty sure Kovacic will start on the right. It will allow us to keep the ball better and defend like a team because all of Kroos/Modric/Kovacic interchange positions when they defend depending on where they ended up on the pitch.

I feel if we start Kovacic all our midfielders will have much better games than what we saw against Granada.

Ramos is probably back so will start. Bilbao's biggest threat is Aduriz, we need to deal with his physicality or we'll be in trouble. Bilbao will put in cross after cross so Marcelo need to keep his concentration throughout the game or we'll lose

Here is hoping Navas keeps another clean sheet so that Perez stops obsessing about DDG

The ideal scenario would be to start Kova and leave Vasquez, Jesé and Cherishev on the bench, only to sub them on when the game is all wrapped up and dusted. But since Jesé hasn't played in a month, I would assume Rafa would want to prevent him from feeling unwanted by starting him.

I hope he doesn't play though. The stakes are high in this game and we need to win this. Jesé can be subbed on when we're sure we've bagged the three points. Vasquez and Cherishev shouldn't play at all in this game.

Bilbao historically have been very tough to play against away there is no time bringing somebody back from exile against them

Watch Jese destroy Bilbao

Rest modric for kovcic, need to assess his level of play against a strong team, my man casimero is there to protect him.

you guys waste no time repeating the same mistakes, kovacic is doing alright, but you lot are clearly overrating every thing he does, just like isco anyway kroos-modric mid or kroos-modric-casemiro.

hopefully we get 3 pts for these pos.

yes because we are the only ones doing it

We are not overrating Kovacic, he is doing very well with the minutes he is playing and actually combines quite well with the midfielders we have. He is just talented and he is playing well.

Better start for him than Illarrascrubmendi getting destroyed by Marcito Asensio over the weekend

hey just saying this is no different from "'isco is as good as modric" talk, as i said kovacic is doing good just not amazing like the thread the other day would suggest, starting kovacic against bilbao could easily blow up your faces and you guys would just deflect, then act like it never happened.

nick save it illarra this illarra that, that what you can cling to now? what about your season in season out of reporting what reporters say as fact and go on your little crusade, again you overreacted about lucas silva too that was awesome , oh how was jesse? yeah rafa sure loved him and his workrate.... .

Just let kovacic settle in without the whole gotta exaggerate every touch and start looking to drop players, can't wait till the kroos hate gets into full swing, gonna be glorious .

umm Isco and Modric aren't even similar so Isco can't be as good as Modric and Modric can't be as good as Isco. Completely different styles and players. Both are excellent in their own rights and I would have both together in a line up when I want us to dominate teams

Kovacic has started this season excellently so logically you want to turn to him when you have difficulties winning the midfield battle, because he adds another body into the midfield to make it easier for Kroos and Modric. If you haven't noticed he doesn't stay on the wing he shifts into the middle and plays like a CM

Illarra is irrelevant to us, he found life difficult at Madrid similar to Coentrao, doesn't mean he is a bad footballer just that he is a mental midget

Kroos is awesome, he had a stinker against Granada yet still got a standing ovation when he was subbed out. It will take alot more than that for him to be booed lolz

I think you should just stick to defending Benzema. Makes life easier for the rest of us who can then skip your posts instead of reading the drivel

Mr Nick09 wrote:We are not overrating Kovacic, he is doing very well with the minutes he is playing and actually combines quite well with the midfielders we have. He is just talented and he is playing well.

Better start for him than Illarrascrubmendi getting destroyed by Marcito Asensio over the weekend

Did Illarra get molested by Asensio ?

wow you guys are great at not remembering your own silly posts, when carlo used isco as cm when modric got injured, you guys said that cause  like usual you lot love to exaggerate.

midfield troubled so much that kova is the savor already? hyping at it best and against bilbao as well lmao.

same shit every season create a reason why the new hype player must start, cause their soooooooo magical, and it only took 5 games into the season

you need to stick to hyping players, and stop discussing tactics about what the team needs, since your clearly more interested in the flare than what going on in the actual games like usual.

lastly your the ones who keep bringing up illarra every second plebs.

No one ever said Isco is as good as modric stop the nonsense

Mr Nick09 wrote:No one ever said Isco is as good as modric stop the nonsense

yeah right you know its true

http://www.defensacentral.com/userfiles/2015/Sep_21/isco_interior_pelo_16_ampliada.jpg

what the actual fack has Isco done with his hair

What is this guy doing? :lol

He's done that a couple times before. Atleast he did for Malaga.

Don't kill me Hala, Izzy or Freeza but I honestly don't see a real struggle against Athletic. Quite the opposite, I think we'll win surprisingly comfortably. Of course, I am subject to be wrong which we all have been but it is just a feeling.

Re: Kovacic
He is doing fine Chad, no overrating, no hype. Just men acknowledging his good start. There would be a drop in form obviously but let us enjoy this without getting too worked up. Still a little or very unsure about this starting on the right. Does Hala mean starting as a RCM?

Doc wrote:Don't kill me Hala, Izzy or Freeza but I honestly don't see a real struggle against Athletic. Quite the opposite, I think we'll win surprisingly comfortably. Of course, I am subject to be wrong which we all have been but it is just a feeling.

Re: Kovacic
He is doing fine Chad, no overrating, no hype. Just men acknowledging his good start. There would be a drop in form obviously but let us enjoy this without getting too worked up. Still a little or very unsure about this starting on the right. Does Hala mean starting as a RCM?

I have not stated anything about this game

I would agree to be honest. We have to beat them comfortably, for my health's sake. Can't take anymore of these tight games against so-called "easy" opponents. Don't really know if Athletic fits into that group at the moment, but their below 3 of the 4 teams we've met so far.

halamadrid2 wrote:umm Isco and Modric aren't even similar so Isco can't be as good as Modric and Modric can't be as good as Isco. Completely different styles and players. Both are excellent in their own rights and I would have both together in a line up when I want us to dominate teams

Kovacic has started this season excellently so logically you want to turn to him when you have difficulties winning the midfield battle, because he adds another body into the midfield to make it easier for Kroos and Modric. If you haven't noticed he doesn't stay on the wing he shifts into the middle and plays like a CM

Illarra is irrelevant to us, he found life difficult at Madrid similar to Coentrao, doesn't mean he is a bad footballer just that he is a mental midget

Kroos is awesome, he had a stinker against Granada yet still got a standing ovation when he was subbed out. It will take alot more than that for him to be booed lolz

I think you should just stick to defending Benzema. Makes life easier for the rest of us who can then skip your posts instead of reading the drivel

Doc wrote:Don't kill me Hala, Izzy or Freeza but I honestly don't see a real struggle against Athletic. Quite the opposite, I think we'll win surprisingly comfortably. Of course, I am subject to be wrong which we all have been but it is just a feeling.

Bilbao has always been tough to beat at San Mames, and this is regardless of their form. We scored 5 past them at the Bernabeu last season, but then we lost 1-0 at San Mames.

Bale and James will be sorely missed, but I think we can manage without them. Rafa just needs to not start bench players and go for the kill with the strongest eleven we have at our disposal. That means no Cherishev and no Vasquez. Jesé is a WC footballer in the making, but for now he's just good enough to be a regular sub. So I wouldn't mind subbing him on when around '75 mark.

The Demon of Carthage wrote:

halamadrid2 wrote:umm Isco and Modric aren't even similar so Isco can't be as good as Modric and Modric can't be as good as Isco. Completely different styles and players. Both are excellent in their own rights and I would have both together in a line up when I want us to dominate teams

Kovacic has started this season excellently so logically you want to turn to him when you have difficulties winning the midfield battle, because he adds another body into the midfield to make it easier for Kroos and Modric. If you haven't noticed he doesn't stay on the wing he shifts into the middle and plays like a CM

Illarra is irrelevant to us, he found life difficult at Madrid similar to Coentrao, doesn't mean he is a bad footballer just that he is a mental midget

Kroos is awesome, he had a stinker against Granada yet still got a standing ovation when he was subbed out. It will take alot more than that for him to be booed lolz

I think you should just stick to defending Benzema. Makes life easier for the rest of us who can then skip your posts instead of reading the drivel

Doc wrote:Don't kill me Hala, Izzy or Freeza but I honestly don't see a real struggle against Athletic. Quite the opposite, I think we'll win surprisingly comfortably. Of course, I am subject to be wrong which we all have been but it is just a feeling.

Re: Kovacic
He is doing fine Chad, no overrating, no hype. Just men acknowledging his good start. There would be a drop in form obviously but let us enjoy this without getting too worked up. Still a little or very unsure about this starting on the right. Does Hala mean starting as a RCM?

im not hating on kovacic or anything but some posters on here, are always trying to hype players and start making up reasons on the spot, all of sudden midfield is in trouble and kovacic is our best solution, no one finds nothing surprisingly stupid about that?

@carth i bet you woud find that funny since sheep needs to stick together huh? benzema scoring again on nice cross from isco must have really hurt .

this situation is exactly like when isco first got benched, he was so hyped that a lot posters would look for any reasons, to suggest he should start based on being magical ffs, these are facts a lot of posters on here have no problem twisting reality to suit themselves, as i said i can't wait until the kroos hate starts, cause its a coming just watch.