Real Madrid vs. Athletic odds, picks, predictions: Best bets for Saturday's La Liga season opener from proven soccer expert

Real Madrid kick off their 2023-24 La Liga season when Los Blancos hit the road to face Athletic Club on Saturday at San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain. Last season, Real Madrid finished second in the La Liga standings, 10 points behind rival Barcelona. Los Blancos begin the season hoping to return to the top of the table and win their third title in the last five years. Meanwhile Athletic are coming off their second straight eighth-place finish in La Liga. 

Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Los Blancos are the +114 favorites in the latest Real Madrid vs. Athletic odds, with Athletic the +230 underdogs. A draw is priced at +240, and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. (.)

Before you lock in your Athletic vs. Real Madrid picks or La Liga predictions, you must see what soccer bettor Jon (Buckets) Eimer has to say.

Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. Since the end of last year's World Cup he has been red-hot, going 167-149-8 for a profit of $2,787 for $100 bettors.

Eimer knows that Los Blancos made a huge addition over the summer with the signing of Jude Bellingham. The 20-year-old midfielder had eight goals and five assists in 30 Bundesliga starts for Borussia Dortmund last season. He also had four goals in seven Champions League appearances last year, breaking the record for most goals in a Champions League campaign by an English teenager in the process. In June, Real Madrid finalized a transfer for Bellingham, which cost the club about $113 million.

But Eimer also has taken into account that Athletic face a Real Madrid side that will be without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Widely considered one of the best goalkeepers - if not the best goalkeeper - in the world, Courtois suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, which will require surgery, the club announced on Thursday. His absence leaves the team with Andriy Lunin, a 24-year-old from Ukraine, as its top goalkeeping option.

For Saturday, Eimer has taken an in-depth look at the Real Madrid vs. Athletic matchup and locked in his picks. We can tell you that he is leaning Over 2.5 goals, but he hastwo other picks, including one that would pay plus-money. He also has a full breakdown of this match. You ABSOLUTELY need to see his picks and analysis before making any selections of your own.