Real Madrid are travelling to Bilbao to face another match in one of Spanish football's historic rivalries. Both teams, together with Barcelona, are the only ones to have played all the editions of la Liga. The match on Sunday will be the 82nd time the Whites visit Athletic in the championship and the last time they'll play in San Mames, next to which the new stadium is being built. Real Madrid has won there on 28 occasions in la Liga and eight times in the Spanish Cup. No other team has defeated the team from Bilbao so many times in official matches.
Real Madrid is also the team to have scored most in their league matches in Bilbao. The Whites have scored 120 goals there with Puskas and Raul in first place, scoring five goals each. In addition to these league figures, Real Madrid has won 8 victories there in the Spanish Cup. Between both competitions they have won 36 matches, a figure unmatched by any other team.
This will be the last time that Real Madrid plays on the historic pitch of San Mames as Athletic's new stadium will be inaugurated next season. On the Whites' last two games there with Mourinho as coach they won with the same score: 0-3. The match last season was particularly significant as the goals from Higuain, Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo granted Real Madrid the league title, mathematically speaking.
In addition, Mourinho has achieved great results against Athletic. The Basque team is the league rival against whom he has the biggest goal difference (+17). They have won all five matches with Mourinho as coach, scoring 20 goals and only conceding three. Cristiano Ronaldo has been their principal weapon in attack, having scored seven goals in three of those matches.
| MOURINHO'S LARGEST GOAL DIFFERENCE IN LA LIGA | |||
| RIVAL | Difference | GF | GA |
| Athletic | +17 | 20 | 3 |
| Sevilla | +14 | 20 | 6 |
| Espanyol | +13 | 15 | 2 |
| Málaga | +13 | 18 | 5 |
| Mallorca | +13 | 17 | 4 |
| Zaragoza | +13 | 19 | 6 |