On Wednesday, there is a very interesting betting offer, and this time we have prepared for you the quarterfinal match of the Spanish Copa del Rey, where Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will measure their strengths. The start of the duel between these two teams is scheduled for 9:30 PM.
Athletic Bilbao: Fantastic Performances at Home!
Athletic Bilbao was founded back in 1898, and to date, the club from the Basque Country has won the top tier of Spanish football eight times, with the last victory occurring in 1984. Among other trophies, it’s important to highlight their impressive 23 Copa del Rey titles, as well as three Super Cups, the most recent being in 2021 when they triumphed over Barcelona in the grand final. Tonight, Athletic Bilbao will face Barcelona again, this time in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.
Regarding European achievements, it’s interesting that the pride of the Basque Country has twice reached the finals of the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) and was defeated on both occasions.
The primary goal for this season, as in previous years, is to qualify for the Champions League, and it seems the Basques are closer than ever to achieving this. Currently, Ernesto Valverde’s team is tied for fourth place in the league table with the same number of points as Atletico Madrid, who, admittedly, has a game in hand.
In their last five league matches, the red and whites have secured four victories and suffered one defeat, which occurred in the previous round when Valencia won 1:0 at Mestalla. Before that, Athletic Bilbao celebrated a win in the biggest Basque derby against Real Sociedad, a match that ended 2:1 at San Mames.
At home in the league this season, Valverde’s men have played eleven matches, achieving eight victories, two draws, and just one defeat, which was in the first round against Real Madrid, a game that was surprisingly easier for the visitors, one of the toughest away fixtures in La Liga.
In all competitions, Athletic Bilbao has strung together six consecutive home victories, undoubtedly giving their fans reasons for optimism in this upcoming clash with Barcelona, who are not playing at an enviable level this season.
The last match between these two teams was played at the end of October in Catalonia, where Barça barely managed a 1:0 victory.
Finally, Ernesto Valverde, who was once the coach of Barcelona, will not be able to count on De Marcos for this match against his former team, while Garcia and Vesga are major doubts.
Barcelona: Even When They Win, the Catalans Struggle!
Last season, after a four-year drought, Barça finally managed to clinch the Spanish league title, and it must be admitted that it was well-deserved. The Madrid clubs were below their expected level, and Xavi’s men knew how to capitalize on this.
However, it’s concerning that Barça was eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage for the second consecutive year. Therefore, a primary goal for the first part of the season was to advance to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition, which the team from Catalonia did. They finished top of their group, which was not overly challenging, with the same number of points as second-placed Porto. Shakhtar finished third and Antwerp fourth, with both teams managing to secure home victories against Barcelona, which was, of course, a big surprise.
In the Champions League round of 16, the Spanish representative drew Napoli, the current champions of Italy. It’s worth noting that the team from the “Diego Armando Maradona” stadium is not playing nearly as well as they did last season when they easily clinched the title.
Certainly, more was expected from Barcelona in this year’s edition of the Spanish La Liga. Currently, the reigning champions of Spain are in third place in the table, trailing first-placed Girona by eight points and second-placed Real Madrid by seven. However, the good news is that the Catalans currently have a three-point lead over Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, who are tied for fourth place. At first glance, the battle for a Champions League spot could be very interesting this season.
In the last round, Xavi’s men managed to beat Betis away, with the match ending 4:2, although the score was tied at 2:2 until the 90th minute.
In their last five league matches, the team from Camp Nou has achieved three victories, one draw, and one defeat. It’s also worth remembering that Barcelona recently suffered a heavy defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid, with the final match in Saudi Arabia ending 4:1.
Finally, for this very important match, Xavi will not be able to count on Gavi, Ter Stegen, Alonso, and Martinez, while Raphinha is a major doubt.
Our Betting Suggestions
Barcelona faces a very tough task, and we are largely convinced that the Catalans will not win this duel. Therefore, we advise you to try the Double Chance Athletic Bilbao or X bet, for which 22Bet has prepared odds of 1.54.
It’s quite possible that both teams will score at least one goal each in this match in the Basque Country, so we suggest you try the Both Teams to Score bet, which 22Bet offers at odds of 1.59.
Finally, we are not entirely sure of the final outcome of this duel, but we are largely convinced that Athletic Bilbao will Qualify. We boldly recommend you try this option, all with odds of 1.92 at 22Bet.
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