Hello and welcome to what should be an exciting La Liga encounter between European champions Real Madrid and the pride of the Basque country, Athletic Bilbao.

For Real, with Atletico Madrid losing to Sevilla earlier today, tonight's game gives Zinedine Zidane's men the chance to move to the top of the Primera Division. Sevilla are league leaders as things stand.

Athletic will be hoping that they can bounce back from a disappointing performance in midweek after they lost 2-0 at Genk in the Europa League. If they pull off what would be a shock win at the Bernabeu, the Basque side will move level on points with Los Merengues.

TEAM NEWS!

REAL MADRID XI: Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Kovacic, Isco, Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema

ATHLETIC BILBAO XI: Iraizoz, Laporte, Eraso, San Jose, Williams, Lekue, Etxeita, Rico, Sabin, Raul Garcia, Saborit

Unsurprisingly, Zidane has opted to keep faith with the forward line of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, although the trio have scored just eight league goals between them so far this season. Sergio Ramos remains out of action through injury. Luka Modric and Casemiro are also missing from Madrid's midfield.

For Athletic, the starting lineup suggests that they will line up with plenty of men behind the ball. There is no place in the first XI for the likes of veteran striker Artiz Aduriz or attack.ing midfielder Iker Muniain. Inaki Williams, heavily linked with a move to Liverpool recently, does start in attack.

As mentioned, the frontline of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo have not always been firing on all cylinders this season, but Zidane leapt to the defence of his forward line, suggesting that any criticism of the three stars is unfounded.

He told reporters this week: "This criticism of 'BBC' with people suggesting that they are average certainly isn't the case for me.

"I will say the same as I always have, that we are very lucky to have three phenomenal players at the club."

Athletic may have lost four of the last six encounters with Real, but their record at the Bernabeu is even worse. The last time Los Leones weree victorious was in 2005 when Zidane was a substitute and Ernesto Valverde, the current coach, was in the away dugout. Goals from Andoni Iraola and Asier Del Horno (remember him?), saw the Basque side leave with three points.

That said, Valverde's team arrive in the Spanish capital in fine form, having won five of their last six games and, although Real are averaging more than two goals per game at the Bernebeu, Athletic will have increased hope of pulling off a shock result as they battle for a European place.

However, Valverde has had to contend with an inreased injury list, with Aduriz having been a doubt in the build up to tonight. De Marcos and Yeray also missed out this evening.

UPDATE: Elsewhere in La Liga tonight Villarreal have moved into third place for the time being after a dramatic victory over Las Palmas. Bakumbu scored the winning goal for the Yellow Submarines, who trailed at half-time.

Although Real can go top tonight, they have lacked consistency in recent weeks with draws against Eibar, Villarreal and Las Palmas.

2 - Real Madrid have gone two league games at home in a row without a win (D2), their worst such run since April 2011. Obstacle. — OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 23, 2016

As kickoff nears in Madrid, much of the focus will be on Ronaldo. When is the focus not on him? He rounded off the scoring in the 6-1 drubbing of Real Betis last weekend, but has otherwise struggled for the kind of record-breaking form that many have become accustomed to in recent years.

In Ronaldo's defence, with Euro 2016 to contend with and Real regularly battling on all fronts, the Portuguese star may be long overdue a rest. The presence of former Juventus striker Alvaro Morata may present him with the chance to recuperate over the coming months. That said, Ronaldo looked in no mood for R&R when he gave Marcelo a deep glare for having the bottle to nutmeg the forward. Interestingly, Real have won more games this season with at least one of the BBC missing.

To emphasise the comparative rut Ronaldo may be in, this stat shows that not all is well...

3 - Cristiano Ronaldo has gone three games without scoring at Santiago Bernabéu - he has never gone four in a row (all competitions). Need. pic.twitter.com/dtpzIkS18R

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 23, 2016

PREDICTION: As kickoff is almost upon us, it is time for my prediction and a goal fest might be on the cards. If you are looking for a bet, perhaps Real to win and both teams to score is a reasonable punt (DISCLAIMER: other ways of throwing your money away are available). I'm plumping for Real to win 3-1 and with the lure of top spot, it seems logical that they can do it.

The teams are in the tunnel waiting to coming out and the Bernebeu is packed. This should be an entertaining game to come.

KICKOFF: We are underway in the capital as Real go looking for top spot in La Liga.

I should say there is a rain storm in the Madrid air this evening, so expect conditions underfoot to be that bit more difficult for the 22 players on show. That said, the pitch looks immaculate.

Early corner for Athletic and after a poor clearance Rico stabs a shot towards goal off-balance and doesn't trouble Navas. Despite the absence of Aduriz, they will carry a threat.

Sabin Merino is looking to provide support to Williams in attack for the visitors and after some tidy footwork, Bilbao concede a free kick. A composed, if unspectacular start from the away side.

CHANCE! Athletic's tidy start continues as Williams flashes a low shot that bobbles in front of Navas and the Costa Rican manages to turn the ball around the post. San Jose threatens at the ensuing corner, but Real clear.

Well Madrid score with their first meaningful attack. Isco keeps his balance and tees up Benzema and the Frenchman makes no mistake in hitting the target. Iraizoz was unable to do anything to stop that.

Still hope for Athletic yet! Clean sheets having not been easy to come by for Los Blancos lately and if the visitors continues to have their share of attacking play, who knows.

SHOT! Ronaldo flashes a shot just wide of Iraizoz's goal. The Portugal star's first contribution of note. The home fans are in fine voice. Perhaps they sense a good night is in store.

Zidane's side are starting to get a foothold in midfield. Kovacic supplies Carvajal with the chance to cross from the right, but the full-back's attempt is smothered and Real earn a corner.

7 - Only against Granada (9) Karim Benzema has scored more goals than against Athletic (7) in La Liga. Scratch. pic.twitter.com/kI4nKpcP00 — OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 23, 2016

CLOSE! Bale gets in on the action with a header at the far post from Marcelo's cross. Unfortunately for the Welshman, his effort is just over.

CLOSE! At the other end, Athletic miss a golden chance to equalise. Lekue crosses from right flank and both Garcia and Merino go for the ball. Merino connects from close range and fails to find the net.

Real have looked content to zip the ball around at pace and their pass completion percentage (71% compared to 53% for Athletic) reflects that passing confidence.

Isco looks angry with himself as he latches onto a clever ball from Marcelo and tries to return the favour. Needless to say his pass goes wandering to a collective sigh from the crowd.

Bilbao continue to pose an occasional threat to Real. Eraso finds a good position to deliver a dangerous ball into the box, but his wild attempt is well wide.

Bale tries to deliver a cross of his own as Real look to put clear water (and there is plenty being showered on the Bernabeu tonight) between themselves and Athletic. However, the visitors clear the danger.

As I said earlier, this Real side are having problems with clean sheets. Athletic are back on terms and Merino is gifted the equaliser. Lekue beats Marcelo down the right and although his initial ball is cut out, Eraso takes advantage of slack defending in the six-yard box and prods the ball towards Merino who slides his shot beneath Navas.

Suddenly the mood has changed somewhat. Real fans are singing, but there are a couple of whistles around.

YELLOW CARD: The first booking of the evening goes to Etxeita for a high challenge. Ronaldo takes the resulting free kick and hits the wall.

Real are trying to reassert themselves on proceedings. Carvajal turns onto his right foot and his cross is flicked over the bar by Bale.

Cries from the visitors for handball on the edge of the Real box and Kroos dives to divert the ball with his head and chests it away. Athletic continue to cause Madrid headaches from set pieces with their added height.

Eraso plays a quick ball in the direction of Williams, who appears to have moved into a central striking role. However, the pass goes astray Real survive.

CLOSE! Laporte provides a vital interception to stop Ronaldo receiving the ball on the right of the area. Surely Ronaldo would have scored from there had the defender missed.

Cries of frustration from some in the Bernabeu as Lekue and Eraso look to torment Marcelo down the right flank. In terms of creating chances, these two have looked as likely as anyone in the visitors' ranks.

Carvajal tries to break the deadlock with a shot from the right, which is comfortably gathered by Iraizoz. I think it's fair to say that the full-back is not renowned for his goalscoring prowess.

Bale sprints down the left touchline and delivers and inviting square ball with Ronaldo and Benzema waiting to score. In the end, neither manage to convert the chance.

CHANCE! Ronaldo finds space in the box and races in on goal before shooting straight at Iraizoz. He had players square and waiting for a pass and you have to think that he would be fuming if the roles were reversed. Poor play.

One minute of added time left to play at the Bernabeu...

Well, that first 45 minutes was certainly absorbing and while we've had two goals already, it could have been more. Both sides have wasted chances to take a half-time lead. Sevilla may yet hold on to top spot in the Primera Division this evening.

Sabin Merino's equaliser may have been opportunistic, but he has been making a habit of scoring against Los Blancos.

2 - Sabin Merino has scored two goals in his three league games against Real Madrid. Surprise. — OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 23, 2016

STATS: Real dominated posession throughout that first period, with 65% of the ball. However, Athletic had plenty of chances (seven compared to Real's 10), hitting the target twice. However, if the hosts continue to enjoy more possession, one would have to think that Bilbao may tire in the latter stages.

BENCH WATCH: As you might expect, Real have an embarrassment of riches on the bench with James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata to choose from, if needs be. Should Athletic look to reinforce their forward options, an obvious candidate might be attacking midfielder Iker Muniain. That said, it is hard to tell if either side will look to make immediate changes.

KICKOFF: We are back underway in the Spanish capital. Can Real win and seize top spot in the table?

FOUL! Kovacic is penalised as he loses control of the ball and flies into a tackle. I think he did little wrong in terms of the challenge, but Athletic earn a free kick nevertheless.

Penalty shout for Real as Bale breaks into the box and gets his feet tangled with that of Lekue. However, despite the protests of players and supporters, the referee is having none of it. That would have been a harsh decision.

CLOSE! Bilbao should be ahead and Valverde has his head in his hands. Eraso slipped Williams in on goal and with only Navas to beat, the forward fires over the bar with a first-time effort. He knows he should score!

YELLOW CARD: Raul Garcia is the second Athletic player to go into the book after he leaves Bale clutching his neck. I can't help but think that Garcia talked himself into a card after constant dialogue with the referee.

SHOT! From an Athletic corner, Navas punched but could only clear to Rico. His shot went wide as Navas knocked over one of his defenders while in retreat.

Zidane appears to be readying James as a second-half sub and Real look like they made need some fresh legs. They have been quiet since the interval. Surely, Zidane won't break up the BBC?

Marcelo tries to whip in a dangerous ball, but Laporte comfortably heads the ball away. Indeed, Athletic have looked mostly assured in defence so far.

SHOT! Ronaldo fires a shot at goal and fires wide. Boos ringing around the ground and Cristiano looks to the floor in revulsion. Not his best performance to date!

REAL SUB: Madrid fans are unhappy to see Isco being hooked for Lucas Vasquez. I thought Isco was having an reasonable impact on the game.

CHANCE! Ronaldo misses another chance for the hosts. This time, it's a more difficult one to take as he latches on to Bale's cross, but is unable to guide his effort on target.

SHOT! Another Ronaldo effort and another Ronaldo miss. He is cutting an increasing frustrated figure, but his shot was decent and only just off target.

CHANCE! Los Blancos are coming to life as bit more and Kovacic goes close with a powerful which narrowly goes wide of the left post. More like it from the hosts!

Is there a good shout for a penalty as Saborit gets hold of Ronaldo's shirt and appears to knock him to the ground. He continues to complain to the officials, but the Portuguese star made the most of it.

REAL SUB: Benzema makes way for Morata as Zidane rolls the dice again. In fairness, that might have been a predictable substitution given that Benzema rarely plays the full 90 minutes.

ATHLETIC SUB: Garcia slowly edges off the pitch to be replaced by Iturraspe. He is booed by the Madrid supporters but appears to be milking it in true pantomime villain format.

CHANCE! Bale a wastes a great chance to put Real ahead by latching onto a through ball and can either tee up Ronaldo and hit the target. He did neither and hold his head in his hands. Bad miss!

ATHLETIC SUB: Merino won't be adding to his goal tally as he makes way for Susaeta. Valverde is clearly looking to inject some freshness as his side struggle for possession in the latter stages.

CLOSE! Athletic almost concede a spectacular own goal. Morata and Lucas contrive to blow a great chance, but Susueta duly blasts the ball at San Jose and his clearance just clears the crossbar.

A priceless goal for Los Blancos as Bale crosses for Morata, who brings a fine save from Iraizoz, but the ball rolls off the keepers back and allows the forward to tuck home from all of a yard out. Are Real about to go top of La Liga?

CHANCE! Bilbao miss another chance and again that opportunity falls to Williams. From close range, he can't beat Navas, but Williams be slotting that home.

YELLOW CARD: Laporte goes into the book and I believe Morata has also picked up a card. The referee flambuoyantly flashed that yellow twice, so it's hard to tell for certain.

Athletic are starting to lose their cool and give a free kick of the edge of the area. Real can't take advantage, but time is running out for the visitors.

Four minutes left at the Bernebeu...

YELLOW CARD: Carvajal is the latest to earn a yellow and I think it's for a kick to Laporte's head. That's dangerous from the full-back!

MISS! As Athletic commit players forward, Real break out of defence and Ronaldo, of course, is one-on-one with Iraizoz and still can't beat him. That might be it with time running out!

Well, the result wasn't always certain, but Real snatch a late win after being tested by Athletic Bilbao and will top La Liga tonight. Can they stay there next week? We will find out soon enough, so stay with Sports Mole for all the latest news from La Liga and around the world of sport. For now, it's a good night!