Athletic Bilbao hosts Valencia in the first leg of the Spanish Copa del Rey semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, February 10th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao)
Athletic Bilbao started the fight for the trophy from the 1/16 finals. The Lions knocked out Atlético Mancha Real (0-2), Barcelona (3-2 after ET), and Real Madrid (1-0). Marcelino’s team is approaching the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals with a streak of four victories in all competitions. The Basques knocked out both giants of Spanish football from the Cup and gained two victories in the Spanish championship. On January 23, the Lions beat Rayo Vallecano in Madrid (0-1), and last Monday they broke the resistance of Espanyol at home (2-1).
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Valencia started their way in the tournament from the first round. The Bats have already eliminated Utrillas (0-3), Arenteiro (1-2 after ET), Cartagena (1-2), Atlético Baleares (0-1), and Cadiz CF (2-1). As we can see, Valencia performs well in the Spanish Cup, but at the same time, the Levantines noticeably slowed down in the national championship, where they didn’t gain a single victory in the last five rounds. The Bats lost to Espanyol (1-2) and Real Madrid (1-4), shared points with Sevilla (1-1), failed to cope with Atlético Madrid (2-3), and tied against Real Sociedad (0-0).
Athletic Bilbao and Valencia did not determine the winner in three previous LaLiga matches. This streak included the only game in the current season. On September 25, 2021, the Bats tied against the Basques in the match of the 7th round (1-1). Inigo Martinez scored for the visitors, and Marcos Andre equalized for the hosts in the 95th minute. We think the Basques have a slightly better chance of winning the upcoming match. They will play at home, where they are traditionally strong. Marcelino's players have won the last three matches at Estadio San Mames, while Valencia has lost two out of the last three away matches. Now the teams will have a two-legged confrontation, so they will not force events in the first game in Bilbao. The main task for the sides will be the most reliable game in defense, as they should preserve the chances of reaching the final before the second leg. Therefore, we will probably see Under 2.5 goals scored, and the hosts are unlikely to lose.
Prediction for the match: Athletic Bilbao to win with +0.5 handicap and Under 2.5 goals scored
