Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao head to Valencia for a second leg quarter final Copa del Rey clash on Wednesday with the tie delicately poised at 1-1 at the half way stage.
The Basque club were in control of the first leg when they went ahead courtesy of a first half Raul Garcia header, and when Valencia’s Maxi was sent off early in the second half it looked glum for the visitors. But Hugo Duro slammed home the equaliser, his second of the competition, which gives Los Ches a slight edge as they return to their home soil and their passionate fans.
Bilbao come into the game on the back of a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Barcelona while their hosts had a handy win in Mallorca to make this a ninth versus eighth clash, as the tow teams are now separated by a single point in La Liga. Even though Valencia have home advantage for this tie the latest outright Copa del Rey 2022 betting odds have installed Bilbao as second favourites to win the trophy at a price of 3.40 while Valencia are at SBOTOP odds of 4.10 to lift the trophy.
Both have a good chance if they can negotiate this tough quarter final, and I’d say that is totally in the balance.
Talking Points
Paulista back for Valencia
Los Ches will enter the second leg full of confidence with a 1-1 draw already in the bag and the news that Brazilian centre back Gabriel Paulista is fit to play is another boost for the home fans, and he’ll line up in a back three. Head coach Pepe Bordelas will hope the defender can help to make it back to back wins for Valencia after they beat Mallorca for a first La Liga victory since December 20th.
But Valencia are still without the services of striker Denis Chersyhev and so attacking midfielder Goncalo Guedes could start up front alongside Duro, while midfield general Carlos Soler will feature heavily in the Copa del Rey 2022 highlights as an energetic box to box player to support the front two.
Los Ches are searching for a ninth Copa del Rey and a fist since they beat Barcelona 2-1 in the 2019 final. That win is still fresh in the memory and the Mestalla faithful wants more.
Athletic Club can recover from Barca drubbing
Okay they were well and truly tamed by Barcelona but, only last week Athletic Bilbao beat top seven rivals Real Sociedad 4-0 at the same time as Valencia were thumped 4-1 by the Blaugrana. So head coach Marcelino will tell his players not to worry about the events of the last La Liga round and concentrate on what lies ahead.
The influential midfield pair of Iker Munian and Alex Berenguer will be back together after Berenguer served a suspension in the match against Barcelona. Munian can play out wide or in the centre, scoring 53 goals in 372 appearances and is a big favourite with the Basque fans; and Marcelino has a strong squad to pick from. He’s also likely to bring back Oihan Sancet, Inigo Martinez and Inaki Williams in what looks like a full strength team.
History
Los Leones have a rich history in this competition, winning 23 Copa del Reys, bettered only by Barcelona and ahead of Real Madrid, and they were beaten finalists in 2021, thrashed again by the Blaugrana 4-0. And that’s where Valencia have an edge… having beaten the Catalans to win the 2019 Copa.
In terms of head to head meetings, Valencia have won 25 of the last 60 encounters, with Athletic Bilbao drawing 19 and losing 16. The last four clashes have all been drawn and the last three by a score line of 1-1.
In terms of recent form, Bilbao are slightly stronger than their hosts, winning three of the last six games while Los Ches have won two.
Betting Tip
At odds of 2.54 Valencia are slight favourites to win this tie with Los Leones at 2.79 and the draw at a price of 3.05.
This is a game which could go either way, and could easily go to penalties. There is quality in abundance in either team and the midfield contest could decide the outcome. Soler is a class act for Los Ches, while Munian has been a go to man for Bilbao in his ten years at the club.
I can see this going to extra time and penalties and a fourth consecutive 1-1 stalemate could well be on the cards.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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