Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao

Estadio Metropolitano sets the stage for the first leg of Atletico Madrid’s mouth-watering Copa del Rey semi-final tie against Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico Madrid pegged cross-city rivals Real Madrid back late in a dramatic 1-1 last weekend to maintain faint hopes of dethroning Barcelona in La Liga and set themselves up nicely for this fixture. But while a chance still exists, lifting their first Copa del Rey trophy since 2012/13 seems like a more realistic opportunity to avoid another trophyless campaign. Keen to impress in their first semi-final appearance since 2016/17, Diego Simeone’s men can draw confidence from winning all but one of their 17 competitive home games in 2023/24, with a 3-3 draw against Getafe in December the only blemish on a near-flawless record at the Estadio Metropolitano. That doesn’t mean they can afford to underestimate their visitors despite winning seven of their last eight La Liga clashes on home turf (D1).

Indeed, Athletic Bilbao affirmed their domestic credentials with an outrageous 4-2 extra-time win against Barcelona in the previous Copa del Rey round, which forms part of their three-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (W2, D1). Ernesto Valverde’s side thumped Mallorca 4-0 in the build-up to this encounter, though it’s worth noting that success came at home. ‘Los Leones’ have blown hot and cold on the road lately, delivering a mixed bag of performance across their last three domestic travels (W1, D1, L1). A clean sheet theme has been the only common denominator during that stretch, with all three games seeing one or both sides fail to get on the scoresheet. Pulling off a shutout in Madrid could be a massive boost to Bilbao’s hopes of avoiding a third consecutive Copa del Rey last-four elimination.