First leg of semi-final: Can Atletico get ahead against strong Bilbao?

A thrilling clash in the Copa del Rey: Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao meet in the semi-final first leg of the Spanish Cup on Wednesday evening, with the first game being played at the Civitas Metropolitano in Madrid before the second leg at the end of February determines the finalists. Unlike in the previous cup rounds, the semi-final will be played as a first and second leg

So there’s plenty of excitement, but this match will be exciting anyway, as it pits the fourth-placed team against the fifth-placed team in La Liga. The two clubs are separated by just three points in the table. Athletic Bilbao have developed really strongly this season and are therefore by no means the underdogs going into the semi-final, especially as there is a second leg

What is the starting position ahead of this hot cup duel, what form do both teams have and how did the last duels end? Find out in this preview of Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao, including betting odds, predictions and interesting betting tips.

Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form

Atletico Madrid should go into Wednesday’s cup semi-final first leg with plenty of confidence. After all, Atletico picked up a point at arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Derbi Madrileño on Sunday evening. Coach Diego Simeone’s men should be particularly inspired by the manner in which they equalized to make it 1-1 through Llorente in the 93rd minute.

It was the second time in just over three weeks that Atletico had managed to upset their great city rivals. In the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, Atletico knocked the Blancos out of the competition in an epic game, triumphing 4-2 after extra time at the end of a thrilling encounter

Atletico Madrid ahead of clash with Bilbao: The Metropolitano as a fortress

The quarter-finals were less high-class, with Atletico fulfilling their duty by beating Sevilla 1-0 late on. They have won their last two home cup games and the Civitas Metropolitano has been a real fortress this season.

In La Liga, they have managed eleven wins in twelve games, only once allowing an opposing team to snatch a point (3-3 against Getafe), and Atleti have also won all three of their home games in the Champions League. In view of this remarkable home record, the bet on Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao to win at home at odds of 2.00 seems quite interesting

Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak – Savic, Witsel, Hermoso – Molina, De Paul, Koke, Saul, Lino – Griezmann, Morata

Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form

The semi-final first leg will not be a walkover for Atletico despite their brutal home record. Athletic Bilbao have been in remarkable form themselves for months. Bilbao have only lost one of their last 18 competitive matches. There is already plenty of self-confidence, and the 4-0 win over Mallorca at the weekend added a little more.

Los Leones often like to sweep aside their opponents, especially in home games – including Atletico in the league game in December. In the cup, Bilbao knocked FC Barcelona out of the competition in the quarter-finals at home in San Mames with a 4:2 win after extra time

Athletic Bilbao twice toothless away from home

However, Athletic Club Bilbao failed to impress twice away from home in La Liga recently. They were held to a 0-0 draw in Cadiz and suffered their first defeat since October with a 1-0 loss in Valencia the week before. Four wins, four draws and three defeats in the La Liga away table is an average record, and the goal difference of 11:9 in away games is also poor, at least in terms of the number of goals scored.

In view of this data, it is understandable why fourth-placed Atletico are clearly favored in the close clash between fourth and fifth. If you still believe the Basques will win, Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao has average odds of 3.80 for the visitors to win.

Predicted Athletic Bilbao line-up:
Simon – De Marcos, Paredes, Alvaraz, Berchiche – Prados, de Galarreta – I. Williams, Sancet, N. Williams – Guruzeta

Atletico Madrid – Athletic Bilbao head-to-head / H2H result

How to beat Atletico Madrid, the Athletic Club from Bilbao knows. The first meeting was a clear-cut affair, especially in terms of performance. In mid-December, the Basques deservedly won 2-0 at San Mames on matchday 17 of La Liga against the Rojiblancos, who were completely outplayed and overrun for 60 minutes.

Bilbao have won four of their last ten matches, while Atletico have taken three points just as often. This duel has already taken place 16 times in the Copa del Rey, and here too the balance is completely even. Seven wins for Atleti, seven wins for Bilbao and two draws so far.

Meanwhile, the overall balance is in Atletico’s favor. This match has been played a whopping 195 times in Spanish soccer, with 90 wins for Atletico and 72 wins for Bilbao, with 33 draws

Atletico Madrid – Athletic Bilbao betting tip

You can look forward to an exciting and evenly matched game, we also believe – it will be a duel at eye level. The Basques have been in impressive form for months, Ernesto Valverde’s team has become a real Champions League contender and it is no coincidence that they are only three points behind Atletico in La Liga. Even if the bet on a home win for Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao seems obvious, it won’t be a walkover for the Rojiblancos, who are so strong at home

Since it’s only the first leg of the cup tie, neither team will be playing at full risk, so we would be surprised to see a turbulent exchange of blows with lots of goals, as was the case with Atletico against Real Madrid in the round of 16 (4:2 n.V.) and Athletic Bilbao against Barcelona (4:2 n.V.) in the quarter-finals.

If Atletico were to win, it would probably only be by a one-goal margin. We wouldn’t be surprised if the game ended in a draw, as Bilbao will pose a constant threat to the Atletico defense, which is not always solid, especially in counter-attacking and transitional situations via the Williams brothers, who are as quick as an arrow. Ultimately, we believe it will be an extremely close duel at eye level, which is not easy to predict in the three-way, so our prediction for Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao is: More goals in the second half