Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid

Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid Preview

We're at the ‘pointy end' of the Spanish Copa del Rey as the 2nd leg of the semi-finals will be played on Tuesday and Thursday night of this week and features this upcoming mouthwatering clash between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid when the two teams meet at the San Mamés Barria on Thursday night with the two-legged tie on a knife-edge with Athletic Bilbao holding a slender 1-0 lead from the 1st leg.

Athletic Bilbao may feel they have done the hard work already as Ernesto Valverde's side secured what could prove to be a semi-final winning 1-0 win in the 1st leg in Madrid earlier in the month, but the hosts will be on notice following a heavy and disappointing 3-1 defeat away from home at Real Betis in La Liga on the weekend.

That loss put an end to a previously encouraging six-match unbeaten sequence in all competitions which included picking up wins against Barcelona in extra-time in the previous round of the Copa del Rey along with La Liga victories over Mallorca and Girona, as well as the away win at Atletico Madrid in the 1st leg of this current tie.

The bigger picture shows Athletic Bilbao have been a tough side to beat following just two defeats from their last 22 matches overall.

Atletico Madrid now have it all to do in this return leg at the San Mamés Barria on Thursday night and the visitors head into this 2nd leg tie against Athletic Bilbao having managed to capture just one win from their previous six games in all competitions.

That singular recent success came in the form of a comprehensive 5-0 thrashing of Las Palmas in La Liga but three defeats within this period have overshadowed that triumphant win and has now placed the visitors in a fairly vulnerable position for the return leg of this Copa del Rey clash.

Losses to Athletic Bilbao in the 1st leg of this semi-final along with a La Liga loss at the hands of Sevilla 1-0 and a Champions League defeat at Inter Milan 1-0 will have done little to boost Atletico Madrid's already fragile confidence.

In addition, results away from home have been particularly disappointing as Diego Simeone's side have collected just two wins from their previous 10 outings on the road while also slipping to six defeats in the process so the prospects of the visitors turning this upcoming tie on its head seem fairly unlikely.

Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid Verdict

Each of the last five meetings between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid have been tightly fought and low-scoring affairs and all resulting in Under 2.5 goals and this trend may continue here on Thursday night.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 2.5 goals @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.20

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 6.00