Evening all and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the La Liga clash between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid from San Mames. Bilbao opened their La Liga season with a 2-1 home win over Leganes on August 20, before sharing the points with newly-promoted Huesca at San Mames on August 27. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have started the new season with wins over Getafe, Girona and Leganes, and will be looking to move onto 12 points ahead of their Champions League group opener with Roma.

Both La Liga matches between these two teams finished level last season. Indeed, the pair played out a goalless draw at San Mames in December before a 1-1 draw occurred at the Bernabeu in April. Real Madrid's last away success to Bilbao was a 2-1 victory in March 2017, and Bilbao have not actually beaten their opponents tonight in Spain's top flight since March 2015.

Right, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from San Mames. Real Madrid have had a lot of players away on international duty, but the majority of Bilbao's first-team squad stayed put during the recent break. Let's run through the two XIs...

TEAMS!

BILBAO: Simon; De Marcos, Yeray, Inigo, Berchiche; D Garcia, R Garcia, Benat; Susaeta, Williams, Muniain

REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Ceballos; Asensio, Benzema, Bale

Athletic Bilbao's team shows two changes from the one that started their last La Liga fixture against Huesca at the end of August. Inigo Martinez is back in central defence, while Benat comes into midfield as Inigo Cordoba drops out. Inaki Williams will again lead the line for the Basque outfit, and he will have support from Iker Muniain and Markel Susaeta in a 4-3-3 formation.

As for Real Madrid, head coach Julen Lopetegui has introduced Dani Ceballos to the middle of the park. Ceballos joins Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in midfield as Casemiro starts on the bench. Marco Asensio is again selected alongside Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the final third, meanwhile, with Isco on the bench. Thibaut Courtois keeps his position between the sticks.

© Reuters

The two teams are in, and we are now just about 40 minutes from kickoff at San Mames. I shall speak about the home side a little bit later, but let's start with Real Madrid. Three matches, three wins, 10 goals scored and just two conceded. That is how Los Blancos have performed in the early weeks of the 2018-19 campaign, with the capital giants not yet missing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo put up freak numbers during his exceptional career at Real Madrid, but both have now moved on, and it has been a smooth transition under new head coach Lopetegui thus far. A 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup last month led to panic amongst the supporters, but Los Blancos opened their 2018-19 La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win over Getafe on August 19.

Lopetegui's side were more professional than brilliant against Getafe, but they have scored eight times in their last two La Liga matches, hitting four past Girona on August 26 before winning 4-1 at home to Leganes last time out. Gareth Bale has three La Liga goals this season, while Karim Benzema - criticised for long periods of last season - has netted four times in Spain's top flight thus far, with the pair flourishing without Ronaldo. Can the pair impress again tonight?

👋🏟 Come on lads! #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/X0q1gUvAS1 — Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 15, 2018

Los Blancos dropped points in 16 of their 38 La Liga matches last season as they finished down in third spot, some 17 points off the champions Barcelona, who also have a 100% record in the early stages of the 2018-19 campaign. The capital giants certainly look capable of putting up a stronger challenge this season, however, and will be keen to put another three points on the board tonight ahead of their Champions League group opener against Roma on September 19.

Last season's 16th-placed finish in La Liga proved to be Bilbao's worst campaign for 11 years. Indeed, after finishes of fourth, seventh, fifth and seven between 2013 and 2017, a disappointing season saw the Basque outfit win just 10 of their 38 league matches. Jose Angel Ziganda left his position as head coach in May, and Eduardo Berizzo is now in charge of first-team affairs.

The Basque outfit opened their La Liga season with a 2-1 home win over Leganes on August 20, before sharing the points with newly-promoted Huesca at San Mames on August 27. Bilbao were due to face Rayo Vallecano in Madrid at the start of the month, but the fixture was postponed amid concerns over the safety of the Vallecas Stadium, with the ground said to be in a dangerous state.

Captain's armband #AthleticRealMadrid #AthleticClub pic.twitter.com/VWxVjCIWOz — Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) September 15, 2018

A break of almost three weeks without a match is not exactly ideal, and they will welcome a Real Madrid side that has been impressive in the early weeks of the campaign. The two league fixtures between Bilbao and Real Madrid finished level last season, but the Basque outfit have not overcome Los Blancos in Spain's top flight since March 2015, with the capital outfit winning four of their last six meetings.

Bilbao are currently staring at a daunting fixture list as they face Real Betis, Villarreal and Barcelona in their three matches in La Liga after this one, and the rest of September could give a good indication of what type of season can be expected from the Basque outfit.

4 - Karim Benzema has scored four goals with only five shots on target in La Liga 2018/19. Last season, the Frenchman needed 19 games to score the same number of goals in La Liga (four goals with his first nine shots on target). Critical. pic.twitter.com/ddd3Cs694l — OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 15, 2018

Here we go then; both sets of players have joined us on the pitch ahead of kickoff at San Mames. Can Real Madrid move level on 12 points with Barcelona at the top of the table? Stay tuned!

KICKOFF:  Real Madrid kick things off at San Mames...

... it must be said that there is a wonderful atmosphere inside the stadium tonight, and the Bilbao fans will be hoping for a strong performance. It is Real Madrid with the early possession.

Half-chance for Real Madrid early on as Modric is found by Asensio inside the Bilbao box, but the home side manage to scramble it clear, before Marcelo strikes wide from distance.

Real Madrid look in the mood tonight as Modric continues to bomb forward. The Croatian meets a flick from Bale, but Martinez is across to make the clearance. Ramos almost made a mess of a Courtois pass inside his own box, but the away side manage to escape a sticky situation.

Real Madrid continue to play out from the back, which is encouraging the home side to press players forward. I would be astounded if there were not goals tonight with the quality on the field. Bale and Benzema are both in fine form, but Bilbao also have some excellent talent up top.

Williams uses his pace to get around Ramos, but the Real Madrid captain comes across to clear at the final moment. Ramos will be in for a game tonight against the electric pace of Williams.

SHOT!  Raul Garcia strikes wide of the Real Madrid post from distance.

Asensio strides clear for Real Madrid and eventually it falls for Benzema, but Inigo is across to make a smart challenge. The visitors are on top, but no goals with 12 minutes on the clock.

Bilbao are struggling to get out of their own half at the moment as Real Madrid continue to dominate the ball. No real chances early on though apart from the sighters from Modric and Marcelo.

CHANCE!  Williams is sent through by Raul Garcia and looks to pick out the bottom corner, but his low effort is wide of the far post. Much better from the home side there.

CLOSE!  Susaeta's powerful strike just misses the Real Madrid goal!

The pace of the match is very high at the moment as both teams move the ball with pace. Real Madrid are seeing lots of the possession, but Bilbao are also very bright going forward here.

SHOT!  Benzema misses the crossbar with an effort from outside the box.

Bilbao continue to cause problems in the final third, but Susaeta just fails to find a low cross into Williams, and Real Madrid escape another dangerous situation. End-to-end football here.

Bale has come in for some rough treatment in the opening 23 minutes of this match, and Inigo Martinez is fortunate to escape a booking after a really late challenge on the Wales international.

SAVE!  Berchiche has two strikes in quick succession, and Courtois saves them both!

The end-to-end football continues here, and the only surprise is that we have not seen a goal. Real Madrid have had more of the ball, but Bilbao have had the better chances in this match.

DISALLOWED GOAL!  Modric fires home from inside the box, but the whistle had been blown for offside. It was an early flag, but Modric decided to have a shot anyway. Still 0-0 with 27 minutes on the clock.

Little over 15 minutes of the first period remaining, and we are still goalless. It has been a very open game of football, with Bilbao committing players forward every time they have the ball.

SAVE!  Carvajal strikes from a wide angle, but Simon is on hand to make the save.

SAVE!  Wonderful save from Simon to keep out a curling strike from Asensio!

GOAL!  ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-0 REAL MADRID (MUNIAIN)

Breakthrough! Bilbao take the lead in the 32nd minute of this match as Muniain turns a low De Marcos effort into the back of the net. Actually, on second look, it seems that Williams made contact and actually hit the ball against Muniain, who appeared to get the final touch!

Little over 10 minutes of the first period remaining, and Bilbao want a second goal here.

DISALLOWED GOAL!  Garcia volleys home from close range, but the offside flag is raised!

Barcelona managed to come from behind to beat Real Sociedad earlier this afternoon, and Real Madrid will have to recover if they want to take something from this match. Plenty of time!

SAVE!  Excellent low save from Simon to keep out a strike from Modric!

Little under five minutes of the first period to play, and Bilbao continue to cause problems on the break, with Williams's pace causing Ramos and Varane some serious concern here.

Modric has been wonderful for Real Madrid in this first period, but a few players in a white shirt have been a little bit disappointing. Lopetegui will have some words to say on the interval.

Possession football from Bilbao as we approach the half-time break at San Mames.

YELLOW CARD!  Yeray (Bilbao) is booked for a foul on Ceballos.

HALF TIME:  ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-0 REAL MADRID

So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close, with Bilbao leading 1-0 courtesy of a close-range finish from Muniain. Real Madrid have had plenty of the ball and some half-chances, but there is no question that the European champions have been off-colour here.

STATISTICS! Real Madrid had 59% of the ball in the first period, while they had five attempts, two of which were on target. Bilbao had seven attempts in the opening 45 minutes, and three of those were on target. Just the one booking in the first half, with Yeray Alvarez having his name taken.

BENCH WATCH! Real Madrid boss Lopetegui has a lot of talent on his bench tonight, with Isco, Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez and Mariano Diaz all available. Sociedad, meanwhile, have the likes of Aduriz, Capa and Rico in reserve. Will Los Blancos make a change at the half-time break?

KICKOFF:  Bilbao resume the action in front of their own supporters...

REAL MADRID SUB! Casemiro replaces Ceballos at the break.

Bilbao have started the second period very well, with Susaeta and Benat picking up good positions in the final third. Real Madrid have a real job on their hands to claw this one back.

CLOSE!  Williams's powerful strike is not too far away from the Real Madrid goal!

These are the matches where Ronaldo would have come up with something for Real Madrid. Sure, they have not missed him early on in the season, but Ronaldo scores a brace in these type of matches to help Los Blancos win. Real Madrid need someone to step forward here.

Worry for Bilbao here as Muniain hits the deck and wants some treatment.

It seems that Muniain will be okay to continue here, which is excellent news. It is so good to see the little Spaniard back playing well again following some rotten luck with injuries.

SHOT!  Bale fires harmlessly wide of the Bilbao goal from a wide angle.

BILBAO SUB! Muniain cannot continue, and Capa has entered the field.

Isco will seemingly soon enter the field for Real Madrid, which is not a surprise. The away side are struggling at the moment as Bilbao continue to commit players in the final third.

Plenty happening here as late challenges arrive all over the park. Casemiro bundled into Raul Garcia before Inigo Martinez took Asensio out outside the box. It is heating-up here!

SAVE!  Sensational double save from Simon as the Bilbao goalkeeper keeps out Bale's free kick before saving the rebound from Ramos. Wonderful goalkeeping there!

REAL MADRID SUB! Isco replaces Modric for the away side.

GOAL!  ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-1 REAL MADRID (ISCO)

What a substitution! Isco has not been on the field long, but has levelled the scores. The assist comes from Bale as he delivers into a dangerous area, and Isco is on hand to head home!

Little over 20 minutes of football remaining at San Mames, and you do get the feeling that there is a third goal in this match. Real Madrid are very much on the front foot at the moment.

SHOT!  Bale's curling attempt was always too high of the Bilbao goal.

YELLOW CARD!  Capa (Bilbao) is booked for a foul on Casemiro.

CLOSE!  Benzema strikes just over the Bilbao crossbar after Asensio had challenged the home side's goalkeeper. Bilbao are struggling to deal with the flow of pressure at the moment.

It is very frantic at the moment as both teams lose the ball inside their own half of the field. Bilbao are carrying a threat here as they look to beat Real Madrid to scoring a second.

SHOT!  Williams strikes wide of the Real Madrid post following smart work from De Marcos in a wide position. The away side the break immediately down the other end.

YELLOW CARD!  Berchiche (Bilbao) is booked for fouling Isco just outside the box!

Ramos takes the resulting free kick, but his effort is too high.

REAL MADRID SUB! Bale is replaced by Lucas Vazquez.

BILBAO SUB! San Jose replaces Williams for the home side.

Possession football from Real Madrid as we approach the 80th minute. Lucas has just found space down the right, but his cross went straight behind. Still 1-1 at San Mames.

YELLOW CARD!  Benat (Bilbao) is booked for a foul on Isco.

BILBAO SUB! Rico replaces Benat for the home side.

Around 10 minutes for one of these two teams to find a winner. You do get the feeling that a third goal will arrive, and it would be a killer blow at this stage of the contest. No question.

YELLOW CARD!  Carvajal (Real Madrid) is booked for a foul on Raul Garcia.

YELLOW CARD!  Lucas (Real Madrid) is booked for a foul on Dani Garcia.

Bilbao are the team on the front foot as we near the full-time whistle here.

Asensio tries to feed Isco inside the box, but Bilbao clear their lines once again.

We are into the first of three additional minutes in this match.

Time is running out here, and Bilbao have a free kick inside their own half. That might be that for this match, and on balance a point each is probably just about the right result here.

SAVE!  Courtois moves across his goal to keep out a shot from Rico.

So there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with the two teams playing out a 1-1 draw. Muniain opened the scoring in the first half, before Isco levelled in the second period. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for our live coverage once again!