Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid Prediction & Betting Tips - Copa del Rey

Prediction published on 29/02/2024, 08:30  by Sridhar | Modified on 29/02/2024 at 09:17 in Football Predictions

After a tight first leg that separated the teams by just one goal, Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid face off in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. This leg will be played at the Estadio San Mamés on Thursday, with the winner going on to face the winner of the first semi-final between Mallorca and Real Sociedad. A first-half penalty from Alex Berenguer was the difference between the two sides when they met earlier in the month in Madrid. The hosts are looking for their first Copa final since 2020/21 and will be buoyed by that performance in the first leg. Interestingly, that win was their first over Atletico in this competition since the final in 1956, so the odds are definitely stacked up against them in this leg. They didn’t do themselves any favors by falling to a 3-1 loss to Real Betis over the weekend, marring their preparations.

Atletico won this competition in 2012/13, but they are making their first semi-final appearance in the Copa del Rey since 2016/17. They are coming off a 2-2 draw with Almeria in the league competition, which leaves them with just a single win across six competitive matches. The visitors are likely to give it their all, as this competition remains their only realistic chance of silverware this season. They are 13 points behind their city rivals Real Madrid in the league, which almost rules out the possibility of winning silverware. Even in the Champions League, they lost the first leg to Inter Milan, and their chances look bleak, increasing their focus on this competition. Their away form is probably not one to gloat about, as Atletico have won just two of their last ten away competitive matches. This sequence saw them lose six and draw two games, so the home fans will be quietly confident of another surprise result.