Real Madrid played out a goalless draw with lowly Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Saturday night to see the gap on league leaders Barcelona stand at eight points.
Los Blancos hit the post in either half and tested Kepa Arrizabalaga on a few occasions, but there was to be no way through on a frustrating evening.
The hosts' best chance arguably fell the way of Raul Garcia, who was unable to make the most of the opportunity when picked out unmarked at the back post.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in the Basque Country with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole for live coverage of the La Liga showdown between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at San Mames. Los Blancos head to the Basque Country aiming to make up a hefty deficit on arch-rivals Barcelona, which now stands at nine points following the leaders' surprise home draw to Celta Vigo earlier today.
One day short of the one-year anniversary since Barcelona last dropped home points, they slipped up as Celta recovered to earn 2-2 draw in a fascinating clash at Camp Nou. It was a great result for the neutral, as second-place Valencia can now further close the gap when they play later this weekend, while the other members of the chasing pack are also closing in. Victory for Madrid here and they will be six points adrift of top spot.
REAL MADRID TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Keylor Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo
SUBS: Casilla, Ceballos, Nacho, Hernandez, Kovacic, Vazquez, Mayoral
Starting with a look at the visiting side, boss Zinedine Zidane is able to call upon Sergio Ramos once again in the heart of defence following his absence against Malaga with a facial injury. Jesus Vallejo was brought in for a rare start for that 3-2 win at the Bernabeu, but normal service is resumed tonight as Ramos partners Raphael Varane at the back, while Dani Carvajal and Marcelo occupy the full-back spots.
There is also a return between the sticks for Keylor Navas, who has not featured in La Liga since the 2-0 win over Espanyol on October 1. Navas was eased back into action against lower-league opposition Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey in midweek and, after coming through that one unscathed, he is thrown in for this trip to San Mames. All of a sudden, Los Blancos' defensive setup looks far more familiar.
Further forward, Zidane has been forced to stick with what is essentially a two-man forward line after Gareth Bale picked up a fresh injury on his own return to action against Fuenlabrada. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema appear to be missing the Welshman, having scored just four league goals between them this term. Taking all competitions into account, Benzema has four in 12; Ronaldo 10 in 14 - eight of those in the Champions League.
ATHLETIC BILBAO TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Kepa; De Marcos, Etxeita, Nunez, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Mikel Rico; Williams, Raul Garcia, Susaeta; Aduriz
SUBS: Aketxe, Boveda, Cordoba, Herrerin, Lekue, Sabin, San Jose
Turning attention to the home side, manager Jose Angel Ziganda has been forced to make do without defender Aymeric Laporte for tonight's game due to suspension. Xabier Etxeita and youngster Unai Nunez therefore link up in the heart of defence, though there is some stability further forward as Mikel Rico and Ander Iturraspe retain their places in the centre of the park for this tricky test.
The big team news as far as Los Leones are concerned, though, is the return to fitness of Kepa Arrizabalaga. The young keeper, handed his senior Spain debut last month, has been constantly linked with a move to the capital club in recent weeks and it was tough-and-go whether he would feature tonight due to a minor injury. Bringing his keeper back into the side was a straightforward choice for Ziganda, who also opts for Markel Susaeta over Inigo Cordoba.
Difficult to work out exactly what formation Ziganda will go with tonight, but Inaki Williams and Aritz Aduriz will definitely have a part to play up top. Williams, strongly linked with a move to the Premier League during the summer, has three goals in 13 La Liga outings this term; Aduriz alongside him has a better tally of nine in 18 in all competitions - not including goal for Spain last month.
Zinedine Zidane has made no secret of the fact that he is desperate to get Gareth Bale back up and running again following more than two months on the sidelines. The Wales international has suffered another injury problem, though, having initially made a solid return to action against Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey in midweek. That forced the Real Madrid manager's hand slightly, as he sticks with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as his two most advanced players.
Athletic head into this match sitting in a lowly 16th place in the La Liga table after going five matches without a win. A 2-2 draw with Deportivo La Coruna last weekend - the side directly below them - did not really help matters, but there was worse to come as they suffered a shock Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Formentera in midweek. That really was a shocker of a result, with the lower-league side netting a 96th-minute winner.
In the league, Los Leones have collected two points from the last 15 on offer, with three-successive defeats being followed up by draws against Villarreal and then Deportivo. Looking further back, it is just one win in 10 for Ziganda, who was brought in during the summer to take over from Barcelona-bound Ernesto Valverde. That solitary victory came against Sevilla at San Mames on October 14.
Three of Athletic's remaining four fixtures before the winter break come against the division's top-eight sides, adding particular significance to their meeting with Levante - one place better off in 14th prior to this weekend's fixtures - next weekend. The Basque outfit really do need to turn things around, having drawn two, lost two and won two so far at their impressive home ground.
Barca are among the sides to have left here victorious so far this season, returning to Catalonia with a 2-0 win, while Atletico Madrid also earned a 2-1 triumph. If Athletic are to get back on track more goals will be key, with just 14 scored so far - five of those via Aritz Aduriz - although they did find the net twice in their most recent league outing when drawing 2-2 with Deportivo a week ago.
That was the first time in nearly two months that Athletic had scored more than one goal in a single league game, so that is something to build on, at least! Los Leones do also remain on course to reach the last 32 of the Europa League, thanks to back-to-back wins over Ostersunds and Hertha Berlin, making their meeting with Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk next week particularly important.
The Basque outing currently sit second in Group J, two points ahead of final-round opponents Zorya, so a draw will do when they travel to the Eastern European country five days from now. As already mentioned, though, Ziganda's charges will not be taking any further part in the Copa del Rey as they suffered that shock loss to Formentera a few days back to make a bad season even worse - domestically, at least.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Real Madrid have won 13 and drawn one of their last 15 meetings with Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, with that solitary defeat coming in March 2015 when Aritz Aduriz score the only goal of the game 26 minutes in. At least the Basque club perform better at home, though, as their last triumph away to Real came nearly 13 years ago through Asier Del Horno and Andoni Iraola goals in a 2-0 triumph.
Athletic Bilbao have endured a difficult first half to the campaign thus far under Jose Angel Ziganda, who was brought in to replace Ernesto Valverde during the summer. Los Leones are down in 16th place after a winless run spanning five matches, and they also exited the Copa del Rey at the hands of lower-league opposition Formentera in midweek.
Madrid head into this match in a far healthier position, occupying fourth place in the La Liga table ahead of the latest round of fixtures. There has been some movement in the higher reaches of the division today, though, as Sevilla are 2-0 up at home to Deportivo La Coruna and will surely see out the final few minutes, while Atletico Madrid earned a 2-1 comeback win over Real Sociedad a little earlier.
Barcelona also drew 2-2 at home to Celta Vigo, so the Catalan giants sit nine points ahead of Real, who are now down in fifth as long as Sevilla can see out the final few minutes. Two points from a possible six as far as Barca are concerned certainly makes things a little more interesting in the La Liga title race, with six points potentially separating the top four come the end of play today.
Barca have dropped points just three times this season, with the previous two occasions coming away to close rivals Atletico and Valencia. Little for Real to feed off as they make amends for their slow start to the campaign, but there is a sense that momentum is finally beginning to swing back in their favour - as was the case for the majority of 2016-17. All Los Blancos can do now is continue winning games and hope for another slip-up from their rivals.
There is of course the small matter of a December 23 El Clasico showdown, fresh on the back of Los Blancos competing in the Club World Cup. Should the gap still be at three points then things will be a little more interesting in that fixture compared to a week or so back. Before then Real take on Athletic and Leganes, as well as a Sevilla side who are temporarily above them in the league standings.
Madrid are from their title-winning best of last season just yet, even if they are starting to string some good results together. Even when beating Malaga 3-2 last week they did not look at the races, with Ronaldo missing a penalty in that one before instantly redeeming himself for a rare La Liga goal. Just four goals combined now for him and attacking teammate Benzema, who could do with Bale returning ASAP.
Zidane is pretty desperate to get his 4-3-3 formation back up and running, which worked wonders for large parts of last season. Madrid were without Bale in the business end of the campaign, of course, when the fringe players more than stepped up to the plate, but it has not quite worked so far this term with Isco in behind Ronaldo and Benzema, who have themselves had disruptions to deal with.
Letting those fringe players go, such as Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez and Danilo, has also backfired and Zidane hinted earlier this week that he will look to recruit in January. Still, six wins from their last eight in La Liga - including a draw away to rivals Atletico Madrid - is certainly an improvement on the early weeks in the season. This run now needs to extend by another few matches, having so far dropped points to Girona, Betis, Valencia, Levante and Atletico.
Zidane's men also made it through to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey in midweek - unlike their opponents, of course - thanks to a 4-2 victory over Fuenlabrada. The second leg finished all square at 2-2, but it was a case of job done for Madrid, with the big positive of the night the temporary return of Bale. Zidane expects to have the Welshman back sooner rather than later - possibly for their next outing in the Champions League.
Even in Europe the defending champions have been somewhat below-par, losing and drawing to Tottenham Hotspur to relinquish top spot. They are still into the last 16 with a game to spare, however, and you would fancy them to improve sufficiently enough to make it an unprecedented three in a row next May. For that to happen Zidane may very well have to bring in another player or two in January, with things feeling a tad stale at the moment.
DID YOU KNOW? Real had won 13 away games in a row prior to their 2-1 loss at Girona in the first league encounter between the two sides - one of the biggest shocks in this or any other La Liga campaign. There was also that 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium last month, giving them a record of one win in their last four away from the Bernabeu overall.
With kickoff at San Mames now just moments away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jose Angel Ziganda: "That's football. Without it being a great match or there being much rhythm, we had more than enough chances to score a goal. The anxiety of that urgency, winning, made us lack precision, and, in the end, we lost to a set-piece. It was a very tough pill to swallow. They practically never came close to our goal, but we knew it'd be the case because they play in Segunda B. They positioned themselves well, that was their game and it went well for them."
Zinedine Zidane: "I've always got the best players so you can ask any question you like [about Kepa] but I've got Keylor and, for me, he's the best. I'm always going to be with Keylor and Kiko [Casilla]. Kepa's a good goalkeeper, sure. There's no doubt about that. But he's not my goalkeeper. I'm sticking with Keylor and Kiko. We'll see what happens when they open the market. We'll see if any one comes and if they can, they can. But I've got Keylor and I'm happy with that."
KICKOFF! Real Madrid, in their traditional all-white strip, get us under way in the Basque Country in the final La Liga outing of the day. Can the defending champions capitalise on league leaders Barcelona's earlier slip up to reduce the gap further?
Etxeita is in the right place to prevent the ball from reaching Ronaldo towards the back post. Incidentally, this is Etxeita's first league outing of the campaign in Laporte's absence, though he has been used in cup competitions.
An early decision for the referee to make, as Aduriz goes to ground inside the box and wants a penalty. Replays show that the striker went to ground far too easily, rather running straight into Marcelo - good call from the man in the middle.
Williams puts the ball in the box, but Raul Garcia lost his footing before he could reach it. A shot did come in for Navas to keep out down low, though that was well after the referee had blown his whistle for an earlier incident.
OFF THE POST! Really good play from the visitors, culminating in Isco crossing the ball to Benzema. The Frenchman controlled it well with his chest and fired it goalwards, but the post came to Athletic's rescue on this occasion.
Williams toe-pokes the ball on target at full stretch for Navas to keep out but, once again, the whistle had already sounded. Lively start to the match, which Los Blancos have edged on the whole having created the only real chance.
YELLOW CARD! Sergio Ramos shown an early yellow card for catching Raul Garcia in the face, meaning that he is now walking a tightrope. A bit of a harsh one, with the Athletic man making a meal out of that - he was barely caught!
SAVE! A first attempt on target, which comes via the head of Aduriz - always a threat from these positions. Keylor Navas got down well to keep it out, but he perhaps should have done better than to parry it into the middle.
A low-on-confidence Ronaldo blasts the ball horribly high and wide from the angle. The closest Los Blancos have come so far is through a Benzema shot on the volley that hit the post, while Aduriz can hold claim to the only attempt on target.
SAVE! Solid goalkeeping from Kepa, who got right behind Ronaldo's drive down the middle. De Marcos caught Marcelo in the build-up to that attack, with the Brazilian pulling up injured. Appears OK to continue for now.
A quarter of the match played at San Mames and there is very little between the sides so far. A couple of Athletic shots in the box are blocked, the second of which Inaki Williams cannot quite latch on to a few yards from goal.
SAVE! A second save of the evening for Kepa to make; this one being just as straightforward as the first. Toni Kroos never really got his foot behind the ball, with the Athletic keeper standing his ground to comfortably keep it out.
A terrible pass sails over the head of Marcelo on the left as the visitors continue to struggle to find their groove. Up the other end, a shot was blocked by Varane, though no with the use of his hands according to the referee.
SAVE! A theatrical dive from Marcelo inside hos own box, though enough contact was clearly made for the referee to award Real a free kick. A sloppy game so far, with Williams attempting to change that through a well-struck shot that Navas helps wide.
CHANCE! Raul Garcia with a glorious chance to open the scoring for his side. Markel Susaeta delivered a perfect free kick towards the back post, but his teammate could neither pick out the net nor Aritz Aduriz alongside him.
CLOSE! This match is really start to heat up now. Kroos, who had a rather disappointing attempt a little earlier, this time sends the ball inches wide with a smart effort from inside the box. The visitors building momentum.
Chances for both sides to make the breakthrough in the opening 33 minutes of the contest, then, with neither showing enough quality in front of goal to do so. Lowly Athletic have arguably had the better of things on the whole.
Just the five goals in six home matches for Athletic Bilbao this season, so no surprise to see the scores remain locked at 0-0. Madrid will feel confident of snatching one, but they will need to improve for that to be the case.
CHANCE! Cristiano Ronaldo is really not at it in La Liga this season. A chance that he has buried hundreds of times before in the past comes and goes on this occasion, as he drives the ball wide from eight yards or so out.
ATHLETIC BILBAO SUB! Ander Iturraspe has pulled up with what appears to be a hamstring injury, forcing Ziganda into a first-half change. Mikel San Jose was always the favourite to come on, and that has proved to be the case.
The first half is petering out a little now at San Mames, with around four minutes left to play. Home fans furious as the decision goes against forward Inaki Williams, despite Sergio Ramos quite clearly tugging back at his shirt.
A lively first half on the whole, though both sides are guilty of some very sloppy play at times. A shock win is there for the taking as far as Athletic are concerned if they can step things up a tad in the second 45 minutes.
The visitors have seen 60% of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, but they have not really created too much in terms of clear-cut chances. Zidane will argue that his side have done enough to warrant a lead, as will opposite number Ziganda.
HALF TIME: ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-0 REAL MADRID
Madrid coming close to a breakthrough right at the end of the first half, as Varane wasted a headed chance and then Ramos had his header blocked by Xabier Etxeita in front of goal. Los Blancos, beaten in just one of their last 15 meetings with Athletic, came close to opening the scoring nine minutes in when Karim Benzema chested down Isco's cross and volleyed against the frame of the goal.
Aritz Aduriz guided a header on target for Keylor Navas to keep out soon after, while Kepa Arrizabalaga - heavily linked with a move to Madrid in January - was also needed to keep out rather tame attempts from Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos. Despite being well out of form domestically, Athletic were creating some good openings as Inaki Williams forced Navas into a low save and Raul Garcia somehow failed to pick out the net or a teammate from a glorious back-post position.
In another sign that Ronaldo is still not quite at the races this season - in La Liga, at least - the Portuguese hammered the ball wide from seven yards out from a chance that he has previously made a habit of burying. Then came those two quick-fire attempts at the very end of the half, which saw Varane and Ramos come close to breaching Kepa's goal.
BENCH WATCH!
ATHLETIC BILBAO SUBS: Aketxe, Boveda, Cordoba, Herrerin, Lekue, Sabin
REAL MADRID SUBS: Casilla, Ceballos, Nacho, Hernandez, Kovacic, Vazquez, Mayoral
RESTART! The hosts get us back up and running in the Basque Country, where we remain goalless after 45 minutes. Been an entertaining contest on the whole, with both teams coming close to breaking the deadlock.
Neither manager made any changes at the break, incidentally. Athletic have already been forced into one alteration, of course, with Iturraspe being replaced by San Jose five minutes before the half-time interval in a like-for-like change.
SAVE! The first attempt of the second half comes via Aritz Aduriz, who forces Keylor Navas into another smart stop. Good pass from Susaeta to pick out the leading scoring 20 yards from goal, but Navas was equal to the shot.
Mikel Rico recovers really well to get ahead of Ronaldo and then force a free kick inside his own box. The Portuguese is quite clearly frustrated as his, and indeed Madrid's, struggles continue at San Mames. Still very scrappy here.
Athletic will be happy with the way this second half has started - a very scrappy game, with Madrid unable to find any rhythm to their game. Benzema gets a shot away, which San Jose was in a good position to block aside.
Kepa races out to punch the ball clear and rides the challenge of Carvajal. The referee awarded the Athletic keeper a free kick, despite Carvajal doing nothing wrong - he was simply standing in the same spot. A let-off for the hosts.
SAVE! Markel Susaeta attempts to loft the ball over the head of Keylor Navas, who won that personal dual. Susaeta had a second chance, which he again failed to take as he picked out the side-netting from a pretty tight angle.
Ronaldo is again unhappy as, after being played through on goal, the referee pulled play back for an earlier tackle on Modric. The Portuguese's attempted lob was easily saved, but he had probably already heard the whistle at that point.
Los Leones certainly not looking to sit back, sensing a big result against a below-par Real. Less than 30 minutes to go here but Zidane is reluctant to turn to his bench, with Vazquez and Mayoral two potential game-changing options.
Madrid just unable to enjoy any sustained pressure at the moment. A half-decent cross into the box loops into the air and evades both Benzema and Ronaldo, with 26 minutes now left to play in this cagey La Liga cash in the Basque Country.
BLOCK! Mikel Rico with a superb block to deny Isco from just inside the box. Cristiano Ronaldo got in behind to create the chance, which Rico blocked with his body before the ball bounced up and hit his arm - no penalty.
Nunez the latest to go down theatrically under minor contact from Casemiro. The heavens have just opened above San Mames, adding to the atmosphere which has constantly built in the first three-quarters of this still-goalless contest.
We are now into the final 20 minutes of the match and there has still been just that one enforced change so far. Zidane clearly reluctant to bring on any of his back-up players, despite his side seriously struggling to create much of anything.
CLOSE! As good as Ronaldo has managed all evening, as he turns brilliantly in the box and smashes the ball inches wide. So close, in fact, that it may well have skimmed the upright on its way through, with Kepa unable to get there.
YELLOW CARD! Casemiro catches his opponent and is shown a yellow card by the referee - his fifth of the season, ruling him out of next week's Sevilla game. Ronaldo's shot aside the game has gone quiet over the last 15 minutes.
SAVE! Nice interplay from Madrid, which culminates in Marcelo striking the ball on goal for Kepa to save. There is then a lot of frustration in the visitors' ranks as Benzema takes the wrong option and the attack breaks down.
Athletic, who brought on Lekue for De Marcos a few minutes ago, now having to hold on a little for this point. That was to be expected, with Madrid all of a sudden realising that they are fast running out of time to snatch a much-needed win.
Much better from the visitors, as they finally enjoy some prolonged pressure. A cross from the right was punched clear by Kepa as far as Marcelo, who sent his latest shot fizzing wide of the target. Athletic defending well at the moment.
REAL MADRID SUBS! Zidane finally turns to his bench, bringing on Mayoral and Kovacic for Benzema and Isco. Cordoba has also been brought on for Inaki Williams in the home side's third and final alteration of the evening.
The match has gone back to being stop-start, which clearly favours the home side - they will happily take a point from this game. Madrid, with one away win in four, now have six minutes plus added time to find a goal that will revive their title hopes.
SAVE! An incredible headed attempt from Ronaldo, who strains every muscle in his neck to direct Marcelo's left-sided cross on target. Kepa did not break a sweat to keep it out, meaning that we remain all square here.
RED CARD! Well here is a familiar sight - Sergio Ramos sent off for Madrid for the 24th time. The Spanish centre-back caught Aduriz in the face with his elbow, and his compatriot's playacting ensured that the ref awarded a second yellow.
We are now into added time at San Mames - is there enough time for a late, late winner? On the basis of the last 10 minutes or so, it appears as though it is going to be another hugely frustrating evening for the defending champions.
YELLOW CARD! Carvajal guilty of trying to do too much before then being shown a yellow for bringing down his opponent. Rather than going to the corner, Susaeta sends the free kick into the box where it is cleared away.
FULL TIME: ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-0 REAL MADRID
Real Madrid play out a goalless draw with lowly Athletic Bilbao at San Mames to see the gap on league leaders Barcelona stand at eight points. Los Blancos hit the post in either half and tested Kepa Arrizabalaga on a few occasions, but there was to be no way through on a frustrating evening. The hosts' best chance arguably fell the way of Raul Garcia, who was unable to make the most of the opportunity when picked out unmarked at the back post.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage from another action-packed day of Spanish top-flight action. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while a look back at Barcelona's 2-2 home draw against Celta Vigo can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!
