Atl. Madrid vs Ath Bilbao prediction: SPAIN: Copa del Rey betting tips on match 2024-02-06 20:30.
Atlético Madrid did themselves and Girona a favour by denying Real Madrid breathing space at the top of La Liga with a late equaliser in Sunday’s Madrid derby (1-1). That result precedes a tasty two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final against Athletic Bilbao in a competition that Atlético haven’t had success in for quite some time, with this being their first semi-final appearance since 2016/17.
While Diego Simeone’s men still have an outside chance of winning the league, this is a fantastic opportunity to move one step closer to some achievable silverware. AtlĂ©tico can set up a significant advantage for the second leg by continuing their almost-perfect record in 2023/24 at the CĂvitas Metropolitano, with a 3-3 league draw against Getafe the only time that they have not won in all competitions.
Athletic notched up four goals for the second time in three outings in dispatching Mallorca 4-0 at the weekend to put the pressure on Atlético’s hold on fourth place in La Liga. The Basque outfit have also been among the most prolific scorers of this Copa del Rey, netting 14 goals in their five matches in the competition so far this season, including two in extra time that put away 31-time winners Barcelona in the single-legged quarter-final (W 4-2).
The semi-finals is where Athletic have fallen in the two previous editions, to Osasuna last term and Valencia in 2021/22, after five consecutive victories in Copa del Rey last-four ties in the space of 12 years. Perhaps their most realistic ambition for this first leg is damage limitation, given that they haven’t won at Atlético since 2010/11, losing 12 of the following 14 away H2Hs (D2).
Players to watch: Memphis Depay has contributed to a goal in each of his last six games (G5, A2), and all but one of his seven goals scored in all competitions this campaign have come after half-time. Iñaki Williams netted for Athletic in both their previous Copa del Rey match and in the semi-finals of the 2022/23 edition, while the Lions have won ten of 13 games in this competition in which he has scored (D1, L2).
Hot stat: Eight of the last 11 H2Hs have produced under 2.5 total goals.