Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol go head-to-head at San Mames on Wednesday night for a place in the last eight of the Copa del Rey.
Ernesto Valverde’s side has been in decent form of late, as a 3-1 loss to Real Sociedad in the Basque derby ended a promising six-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.
🎩 ¡Gran desmarque y sangre fría dentro del área en el último #AthleticEspanyol de Copa en San Mamés! 🏆💥 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘇 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘇 #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/X1vYPbgRi8— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) January 16, 2023
🎩 ¡Gran desmarque y sangre fría dentro del área en el último #AthleticEspanyol de Copa en San Mamés! 🏆💥 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘇 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘇 #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/X1vYPbgRi8
The recent solid run of form had the home side on the verge of La Liga’s top six, but they are currently two points outside the European spots.
Athletic have been a difficult team to score against in recent months, as they have prevented five of their last seven opponents from finding the net in all competitions.
The Boys from Bilbao have a decent recent record in the Copa del Rey. They have now recorded three consecutive victories in the competition over Alzira, Sestao River and Eldense.
The visitors look set to be involved in the fight for survival in La Liga, as the Catalan team is currently just a point above the relegation zone in the Spanish top flight.
Despite their dangerous position in La Liga, Diego Martinez’s team is currently on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Although their recent matches have not all been high-scoring, both teams have scored in Espanyol’s last four competitive matches. They have also scored at least two goals in back-to-back games.
The visitors have made it to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey by recording victories over Rincon, Atletico Paso and Celta Vigo. However, they needed extra time to see off the latter.
Espanyol has been a tough nut to crack on their travels in the competition, as the Catalan team has lost just once in eight away matches in the Copa del Rey.
Forebet predicts that this clash will produce a low-scoring draw after 90 minutes.