Atletico Madrid take on the visitors Real Madrid in the 1/8-finals of Spanish Copa del Rey. The match will be played on Thursday, January 18th at Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid).
Atletico are at risk of failing despite a relatively decent season. The Mattress Makers are navigating through this season quite evenly. Even in the Champions League this time, the Spaniards redeemed themselves for the failure in the previous cycle, where they managed to finish last, 4th, in their group. This time they won the quartet, but Diego Simeone's wards were unlucky again: they faced Inter already in the Round of 16, risking to end the playoffs there. The problem is that in La Liga, there seems to have been a decent first round, but the trouble is that now not only the usual giants like Real and, with reservations, Barcelona are doing very well, but also Girona and Athletic. Losing 3-4 to Girona in January, Cholo's Team allowed themselves to be caught up by the Basques – you can miss out on the Champions League in the next draw without that! Moreover, in the Super Cup, they lost to Los Blancos in a vivid match, conceding twice in extra time somewhat unluckily after a 3-3 draw in regular time.
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Real Madrid, after beating their neighbors in such a dramatic match, then simply destroyed Barcelona in the Super Cup final. Vinicius Junior was particularly impressive, scoring twice by the 10th minute and contributing to all four goals against the Catalans. Overall, the Royal Club is not particularly vibrant but is confidently moving towards its goal of winning the main trophies in the current season. They comfortably passed the group stage of the Champions League, as expected. In La Liga, despite personnel problems (Benzema left in the summer, then injuries to cross players Courtois, Militao, and Alaba), and a unique transfer policy, where gaps were filled with loans like Joselu and Kepa, they manage to stay at the top. The purchase of Bellingham was rightfully named the No. 1 transfer in 2023. Yes, they can't seem to distance themselves from Girona, but, most importantly, all other familiar competitors, starting with Barcelona, have fallen significantly behind.
It's worth noting that, including the Super Cup, Simeone's encounters with Los Blancos have gone to extra time in seven matches. However, in La Liga's first round, the Mattress Makers won 3-1. Galacticos are considered slight favorites even away. But their neighbors always put up a fight, as proven last week. Betting on total over 2.5 goals seems reasonable.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
