Afternoon folks! La Liga's big three are in staggered action this afternoon and the middle game of the three takes place at the Vicente Calderon as Atletico take on Athletic. ATleticO versus ATHletIC - don't get confused!

The team news is in for both teams - let's get right to it...

ATLETICO XI: Oblak; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Siqueira; Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Raul Garcia; Griezmann, Torres
Subs: Moya, Mario Suarez, Mandzukic, Saul, Jesus Gamez, Gimenez, Turan

Diego Simeone makes three changes to the side that edged out Villarreal in midweek. Fernando Torres scored the winner and is rewarded with a start in place of Mario Mandzukic. Elsewhere, there are changes at left-back and in midfield as Siqueira and Raul Garcia replace Jesus Gamez and Arda Turan.

ATHLETIC XI: I.Herrerin; De Marcos, Bustinza, Laporte, Etxeita; Iturraspe, San Jose, Mikel Rico; Iraola, Kike Sola, Williams
Subs: Iraizoz, Toquero, Aurtenetxe, Gurpegi, Viguera, Guillermo, Unai Lopez

Blimey, changes aplenty for Athletic with just four players keeping their place from the 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad on Wednesday. They are Aymeric Laporte, Iraola, Mikel San Jose and Inaki Williams. Ernesto Valverde has really shaken up his side.

Click here to see the latest La Liga table with Barcelona 8-0 (YES, EIGHT) up at Cordoba. The league leaders have a goal difference of +86! Atletico are 12 points behind them, but will cut the gap back to nine with a win here.

Athletic are eighth in the table, level on points and with the same goal difference as Malaga just above them. The European places are six points away, but win here and they can put the pressure on both Malaga and Villarreal in sixth.

PREDICTION TIME: It's hard to predict anything other than a home win today. Atletico are generally superb at the Calderon and have kept six clean sheets in their last eight home league games (W7 D1). Let's go for a 2-0 home win.

Barca win 8-0 against rockbottom Cordoba to go five points clear at the top. That puts plenty of pressure on Real, who play Sevilla in a huge clash in a couple of hours. We'll of course have live coverage of that one too.

Plenty of focus today will be on Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann, who is the leading scorer in La Liga (if you ignore Ronaldo and Messi!). He has 22 in the league this term and against no side has he scored more La Liga goals than he has against Athletic.

STAT: Another interesting fact about the Frenchman - Antoine Griezmann has scored more goals than any other La Liga player on a Saturday this season (18).

Right, here come the two teams at the Calderon. Atletico have lost just once at home this season, can Bilbao be the second club to triumph?

KICKOFF! We're underway in the Spanish capital.

Lively start to the match as Atletico's Koke lets fly from distance but was never troubling Herrerin with that effort.

Bilbao are without their striker Aritz Aduriz today, but that might be a good thing as he has faced Atletico Madrid more often without scoring than any other opponent (nine games, no goals).

CHANCE! Bilbao have settled down since that fast Atleti start and they go close to the opening goal as San Jose meets a corner but can't quite find the target. They could rue that miss later on!

Athletic certainly won't be easy to break down today. They are unbeaten in three games and have conceded just once in two wins and a draw.

Little happening on the pitch, so let's look back at the two sides' reverse meeting just before Christmas. It was an impressive 4-1 for Atletico and a memorable day for Griezmann, who scored a hat-trick at San Mames.

Speaking of Griezmann, he fires a volley over after a neat pass from Torres. He should have done better with that, but his blushes are spared as the offside flag was raised.

CLOSE! Atletico seizing control here and this is as close as they've come in the match as Raul Garcia fires at goal with his left foot. Herrerin is worried, but glad to see the ball go wide of the upright.

It might not have really gone Atletico's way in the opening quarter of the game, but they will still be heavy favourites to win the match. Just having a quick look at our readers' poll on the match preview, 89.3% of you have backed Simeone's side today.

Almost an opening for the visitors as the pace of Williams gets him in behind the defence. He has to cut back onto his right foot and then looks for a sneaky reverse pass, but Godin is too smart and reads it well.

Juanfran tees up Garcia, but he can't get off a clean effort this time as a green shirt races out to make a block.

Atletico certainly look fairly safe for a third-place finish at the moment, but they won't want to lose today and possibly open the door for Sevilla and Valencia. Finishing third is mighty important, remember, because it means you avoid going through Champions League qualifying.

The crowd gets excited with a pair of Atletico attacks as Juanfran and Griezmann get in behind the defence, but both times the offside flag is raised. The home side certainly like playing on the shoulder of the last defender.

Iturraspe with a rare shot at goal for Bilbao and it's a pretty naff one as the ball drifts harmlessly wide. The visitors have, surprisingly, had more of the possession (52%).

SAVE! A first shot on target from either side as Raul Garcia meets a corner and heads powerfully at goal. It's a firm header and low too, but it's straight at Herrerin. Either side and that would have been the opener.

BOOKING! Ugly scenes in the Bilbao penalty area as Torres squares up to the referee and is booked for his dissent after feeling that he was fouled when trying to prod home from the left side of the area. He still got a shot off and Herrerin forced it out of play, but Torres's reaction was inexcusable there. The way he squared up and backed the referee down could have been red-card worthy if you ask me.

A fiery end to the half then and I think that outpouring of frustration from Torres is, in part, down to how little luck he's had in the first 45. We're almost at the break.

It looks like Atletico will go in extremely angry as the fourth official signals that there will be just one minute of added time.

A frustrating half if you're an Atletico fan, but a fairly pleasing one if you support Bilbao. The hosts haven't had too many opportunities and Bilbao have had the odd moment which will give them hope of nicking a goal in the second half.

The two on-target efforts from Raul Garcia and Torres towards the end of the first period are the only times that either keeper has been worked. Herrerin dealt with both fairly comfortably and Bilbao have had just as good a chance when San Jose headed wide early on.

The big moment of the first half was in the 41st minute when Torres was able to test Herrerin with a prodded back-post effort. The former Chelsea and Liverpool man did well to do anything as he was clearly being held by Etxeita, who had no eyes for the ball and just wanted to hamper Torres's run. Torres was furious with referee Santiago Jaime and squared up to the official and can be considered a little lucky to have only been booked.

Click here to see the La Liga table as it stands with these two sides in a stalemate at half time. Atletico are moving seven clear of Sevilla in fifth, while Bilbao are closing to within five points of sixth-placed Sevilla.

Here come the two sides for the second half. No changes from either manager at the break. A reminder of the two benches below.

Atleti: Iraizoz, Toquero, Aurtenetxe, Gurpegi, Viguera, Guillermo, Unai Lopez

Athletic: Iraizoz, Toquero, Aurtenetxe, Gurpegi, Viguera, Guillermo, Unai Lopez

KICKOFF! Back underway at the Calderon.

It certainly wouldn't be surprising to see Mandzukic soon if both Torres and Griezmann continue to not get much change out of the Bilbao backline.

Close for Atleti as Garcia tries to slip in a through-ball, but it hits Laporte's leg and bobbles through to Herrerin with Torres and Griezmann both offside.

AGAIN Griezmann is caught offside before rolling the ball under Herrerin. This time it looks a little harsh as he was probably just on, but three of his teammates were offside. Easy to see how the linesman thought it was off.

CLOSE! Oooh, out of nowhere a big chance for Atletico on the counter-attack. San Jose feeds Iraola on the right and he then cuts it back for the midfielder. It's a good shooting opportunity from 15 yards, but San Jose gets it wrong and bobbles it into teammate Kike Sola, whose diversion takes the ball just wide!

ATLETICO SUBS: Simeone makes a pair of changes just 10 minutes into the second period as Mandzukic and Turan replace Torres and Garcia.

BILBAO SUB: The visitors also make a change, with Iraola signalling to the bench that he is injured. Unai Lopez is on in his place.

CHANCE! Another big chance for the visitors as a corner is swung over from the right and there is centre-back Etxeita who can only direct it over from close range.

So, into the final half an hour we go and still we await the deadlock-breaker. Atletico are now ahead on the possession count with 52% of the ball, but Bilbao have had one more shot with six. However, the visitors still haven't got one on target.

More big appeals for an Atleti penalty as Godin goes down when challenging for a header. He had the physical advantage on Iturraspe and the latter might just have given the Uruguayan a sneaky nudge in the back. Referee Jaime once again unmoved.

BILBAO SUB: Second change for the visitors as Guillermo Fernandez replaces Kike Sola.

Menacing delivery from Koke, but Mandzukic is arcing backwards to meet it and can't direct his header the way that he wants to. You just sense that Atletico are shifting from second to third gear.

DISALLOWED! ANOTHER goal is disallowed for offside by the officials and this one is a shocker! Turan teases over a cross and Tiago beats Herrerin to the ball to prod home. Replays show that the former Chelsea midfielder was well onside. Cruel on his 34th birthday as well!

BOOKING! San Jose becomes the first Bilbao player into the book.

Iturraspe tries a cheeky through-ball into the run of Williams as he nutmegs Siqueira, but Miranda is on hand to clear the danger.

SAVE! Brilliant goalkeeping by Herrerin as he keeps out Griezmann at the back post. It was all down to Siqueira, who got to the byline and then dinked over a cross that reached the unmarked Griezmann at the back stick.

This game has come to life all of a sudden! At one end, Turan's shot from the resulting corner is blocked before Bilbao race down the other and have a chance through Williams on the counter. The forward is ushered away from goal and can't quite stretch his leg far enough to poke it past the onrushing Oblak.

BOOKING! Bilbao right-back Bustinza is shown a yellow card for a late lunge on Koke down the left wing.

Griezmann has had a frustrating afternoon so far and again can't make it happen in front of goal as he is forced wide when trying to round the keeper.

CHANCE! The home side will no doubt throw plenty of numbers forward and it could give Bilbao chances on the break. The visitors threaten here as Lopez's cross into the six-yard box unfortunately misses out on finding a fellow green shirt.

BOOKING! The supporters see red as Laporte hoofs the ball away, but he makes up for a it a little by apologising to them. The referee shows no sympathy and has his yellow card out to book the defender.

Here's a snap summing up what has been a hard-fought game between two well-drilled outfits:

BILBAO SUB: Third and final change for the visitors as Iturraspe is replaced by Gurpegi.

By the way, Atleti still have one substitution to use if Simeone feels that there is someone who can make a difference on the bench.

BOOKING! Godin is cautioned for dissent and that means that he will miss Atleti's next game at Levante.

ATLETICO SUB: Here is that final Atleti change and it comes in midfield as Tiago makes way for Saul.

Godin gets up well to meet Turan's floated cross, but can't keep his header down. Not long left here for Atletico to find a winner.

All Atletico supporters' eyes are on the fourth official and he indicates that there will be THREE MINUTES of added time.

SHOT! Almost a stunning winner for the hosts as Mandzukic nods it down for Miranda, whose first-time volley is quite spectacular for a centre-back, but just a little too high.

Silly boy. The youngster, on his full debut, sees red for a second yellow card.

Goalless it ends, then. Atletico weren't at their best, but they did score two legal goals that were both chalked off for offside. Had the linesman got the decisions right, then we'd be sitting here talking about another fairly comfortable 2-0 home win for the hosts.

That means that Sevilla and Valencia can close the gap to Bilbao to four points if they win this weekend. Valencia are at home to Eibar, while Sevilla host Real Madrid in a match kicking off very soon indeed.

And on that note, I'll link you to our in-depth coverage of that game and bid you a good evening! Thanks for joining us today.