Copa del Rey Semis: Athletic Club vs Atletico Madrid Odds
Athletic Club Lead 1-0 After One Leg
Can Atletico Madrid Overturn the Deficit?
The last time Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid met, Bilbao handed Atletico their first home defeat in over a year. That loss undoubtedly still stings for Diego Simeone’s men and they head into the second leg of the Copa del Rey Semifinal with a one goal deficit.
Atletico will do everything in their power to overturn the deficit when they head to the San Mames on Thursday. Athletic Club will just need a draw to advance to the final, where the winner of Real Sociedad and Mallorca awaits. Ahead of this midweek Copa del Rey showdown, we’ll check out the Athletic Club vs Atletico Madrid odds.
Athletic Club vs Atletico Madrid
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Location: San Mames, Bilbao, Spain
Athletic Club vs Atletico Madrid Head-to-Head
This is the third meeting of the season between Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid but just the second on the Copa del Rey schedule since 2014. In the first leg of the Semifinal, Athletic Club’s Alex Berenguer scored a first half penalty.
Atletico Madrid pushed for an equalizer but Samuel Lino sent a shot marginally wide and Athletic’s Iñigo Lekue later made a crucial goal line clearance. Athletic Club came away with a 1-0 victory and Atletico lost at home for the first time in over a year. The pregame Athletic Club vs Atletico Madrid odds listed Bilbao as +265 underdogs.
Athletic Club also defeated Atletico 2-0 in La Liga back in December as Gorka Guruzeta and Nico Williams scored at the San Mames. Athletic Club have lost just two of their last eight games vs Atletico Madrid overall.
Athletic Club Suffer Rare Loss
Real Betis ended Athletic Club’s six game unbeaten run on Sunday at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Bilbao fell behind 2-0 in the first half and things went from bad to worse as Nico Williams picked up two yellow cards in the space of seconds.
The Athletic Club winger initially received a yellow card for a foul and received the second for dissent. With ten men, Athletic Club got a goal back, through Gorka Guruzeta, but they ended up falling 3-1. While Williams will miss the next match in La Liga, he’ll be available to play in Thursday’s match vs Real Betis.
Bilbao have been an excellent soccer betting pick at home this season. In 15 matches overall at the San Mames, they’re 12-2-1. In the Copa del Rey Quarter-final, Athletic Club took down Barcelona 4-2, in extra time.
The Williams brothers, Iñaki and Nico, both got on the scoresheet in the added periods. Bilbao are currently on a nine game home winning streak and they’ll be motivated to bounce back on Thursday.
While Asier Villalibre has only made two starts in La Liga this season, the forward has been excellent in the Copa del Rey. He’s joint-leader in goals, with six, and he could certainly play a part in the second leg vs Atlético. Both Guruzeta and Iñaki Williams have reached double figure goals, in all competitions and Athletic Club’s defense has also been solid this season.
They have kept clean sheets in half of the matches they’ve played. However, they have conceded five goals in their last two. For Thursday’s match, Iñigo Lekue and Ander Herrera are out injured, while defender Yuri Berchiche ios questionable with a muscle injury.
Atlético Missing Griezmann
Atletico Madrid went on the road to Almeria in La Liga on Saturday. Angel Correa and Rodrigo de Paul were on the scoresheet for Diego Simeone’s side. Still, Atletico couldn’t contain Luka Romero, who scored his first two goals for Almeria in the match.
It was a rather disappointing draw for Atletico, given that Almeria are in last place in La Liga, with an 0-9-17 record. Still, Atletico Madrid finished the weekend in the top four.
Now, Los Colchoneros need to overturn a one goal deficit to advance to the Copa del Rey final. They’re in a similar position in the Champions League, where they trail Inter Milan 1-0 heading into the second leg of the round of 16.
Antoine Griezmann’s ankle injury certainly makes matters more complicated. The French World Cup winner has been Atletico’s most productive player this season. He’s scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in 36 appearances.
Without their main creative outlet, Atletico’s link up play won’t be as fluid. Still, Alvaro Morata has scored 19 goals this season and he’s another weapon for Simeone. Atletico are going for their first appearance in the Copa del Rey final since 2013 here.
In the all-time Copa del Rey table, only Barcelona, Athletic Club and Real Madrid have won more Copa del Rey trophies. Along with Griezmann, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar are out. Meanwhile, defender Jose Gimenez is listed as doubtful.
Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid Match Analysis & Odds
The oddsmakers certainly aren’t confident that Atletico will overturn their deficit here. Heading into this match, Athletic Club are -475 favorites to advance to their 40th Copa del Rey final. Meanwhile, bettors can back Atletico at +285 odds to meet up with the winner of Real Sociedad and Mallorca in April.
Griezmann’s absence certainly limits Atletico’s offensive potential but Memphis Depay and Angel Correa will be eager to impress.
The Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid odds list Bilbao as +145 90-minute favorites to win Thursday’s match. Athletic Club haven’t lost at home since August and they’ve made the San Mames a fortress this season.
Plus, Atletico are just 6-5-8 on the road this season overall. Atletico Madrid show +175 odds to win the match and if they win by more than one goal they’ll book their spot in the final automatically.
A one goal victory will mean extra time and a potential penalty shootout. In this pick’em, punters can take Athletic Club pk at a -130 price and Atletico pk at even odds.
A draw (+220) would be good enough for Athletic Club and they’d absolutely celebrate one here. Just one goal was scored the last time these teams met but over two goals come in at -155 odds.
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