Fresh from their El-Classico defeat, Barcelona have a chance to get their hands on some silverware as they face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final at the Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla. Bilbao cannot be discounted as they look to go one better after losing the 2020 final but Barca's extra quality and experience in the competition should shine through.
Barcelona overcame Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate to reach the final of the Copa del Rey. After suffering a 2-0 defeat in the semi-final first leg, they triumphed 3-0 in the return fixture at the Nou Camp.
The Catalans will enter Saturday’s final off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the El-Classico with Oscar Mingueza getting their goal. Despite that result Ronald Koeman’s men are still one of the form sides in La Liga having gone 19 matches unbeaten prior to the defeat against Madrid.
Barcelona have won three of their last four matches, a run that includes a 4-1 victory over Huesca and a 6-1 triumph at Real Sociedad. The one blemish in a solid record in recent weeks is a leaky defence as they have kept just one clean sheet in their last four matches.
Athletic Bilbao have a rich history in the Copa del Rey with 23 titles to their name, second only to Barcelona’s 30. They played in the 2019-20 final earlier this month and were beaten 1-0 by Real Sociedad.
Marcelino’s team had a fairly straightforward route to this year’s final but were made to work hard by Levante in the semi-final. They were taken to extra-time by Granotes before triumphing 3-2 on aggregate.
Athletic Bilbao have not been at their best in recent weeks and head to Saturday’s clash winless in their last six matches. They have already lost twice to Barcelona this season but triumphed 3-2 in the Spanish Super Cup in January.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona are overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are backed at 8/15 by SBK to secure the win. Athletic Bilbao are outsiders at 11/2 with betfair while a draw is set at odds of 7/2 by William Hill.
Despite their El-Classico defeat, Barcelona have been in impressive form lately and should claim the victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Head to head
Barcelona often come out on top in this fixture with 45 wins from 71 previous matches. Athletic Bilbao have claimed 12 wins while there have been 14 draws between both teams.
The Catalans have beaten Bilbao twice this season and triumphed 2-1 in the last meeting between both teams in January.
Players to watch
As always Barcelona will look to Lionel Messi to provide the spark in attack. The Argentine forward has scored four times against Athletic Bilbao already this season and is priced at 8/13 by BetVictor to score anytime while the first goal is valued at 5/2 with bet365.
Inaki Williams and Raul Garcia often carry the attacking threat for Athletic Bilbao and will be the ones to watch on Saturday. Paddy Power has Garcia at 7/2 to score anytime while also backing Williams at 4/1 in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Matches involving Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona often produce goals, so it might be worth a punt backing both teams to score at 5/7 with Sport Nation. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 8/12 by SBK while over 3.5 goals is priced at 7/5 by betfair.
Barcelona could be backed to score in both halves at 6/5 with William Hill while a win for the Catalans and over 2.5 goals could be worth a punt at 21/20 with betway.
This Spanish Cup match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will be played on Apr 17, 2021 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
