Real Madrid will be gunning for a spot in the Copa del Rey semi-finals when they lock horns with Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Thursday.
Real Madrid will square off against La Liga rivals Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals of the 2021/22 Copa del Rey on Thursday night at San Mames.
Real Madrid are enjoying a solid season as they sit atop the La Liga standings while they have already won the Supercopa de Espana. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be hoping to go all the way in the cup competition as well. Los Blancos got past Alcoyano in the Round of 32 before they were made to work hard by Elche in the Round of 16. They are on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions and will be hoping to keep it intact.
Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, eased past lower league outfit Atletico Mancha in the Round of 32 and then pulled off an impressive 3-2 win over Barcelona in the last stage to set up a meeting with Real Madrid. Marcelino’s men have lost just one of their previous seven games in all competitions, although it did come against their Thursday’s opponents in the final of the Spanish Supercup last month.
In fact, Los Leones have been beaten three times in three games in all competitions by Real Madrid since December. The Basque outfit will be hoping to end that streak and bag a victory to progress to the Last Four stage of the Copa del Rey.
Team News & Tactics
Athletic Bilbao
?️ @Marcelino ahead of #AthleticRealMadrid ?
⚔️ "We need to play a perfect game and make sure they don't."
❤️ "With the help of our fans, who will surely be there in full voice, we can go through to the semi-finals."#AthleticClub ?
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) February 2, 2022
Athletic Bilbao have no major injury concerns heading into this game, although Unai Vencedor is a slight doubt due to a hamstring issue. The likes of Oscar De Marcos, Iker Muniain and Yeray Alvarez are expected to be fit and available for selection, meaning Marcelino has a nearly full-strength squad at his disposal.
The Basque outfit will set up in their usual 4-4-2 formation, with the manager expected to field his strongest lineup for the game. Unai Simon will be manning the goal for the home team, where he will be shielded by the centre-back pairing of Alvarez and Inigo Martinez while De Marcos and Mikel Balenziaga will be the two full-backs.
Dani Garcia and Mikel Vesga will be in charge of holding down the fort in the middle of the park for Athletic Club, where they will look to try and stifle the influence of their counterparts, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. The threat from the wide areas ought to come from captain Muniain and young Nico Williams, who will try to exploit any space left by the Real Madrid full-backs.
Raul Garcia and Inaki Williams ought to pair up in attack, although Marcelino might opt to start with Oihan Sancet if he prefers to add more mobility in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Simon; De Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Balenziaga; Nico Williams, Dani Garcia, Vesga, Muniain; Inaki Williams, Raul Garcia
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have been dealt a major blow in the lead-up to the contest as star striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out with an injury. His compatriot Ferland Mendy also misses out while Marcelo is suspended for the match. The Brazilian contingent of Casemiro, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have returned in time from national team duty to train with the game and could play a part on Thursday.
?✅ Our squad for the #CopaDelRey quarter-final ? @Athletic_en! pic.twitter.com/8tJCVirUwh
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) February 2, 2022
Carlo Ancelotti will field his strongest lineup at San Mames, which should see Thibaut Courtois continue in goal ahead of Andriy Lunin. Dani Carvajal is a shoo-in at right-back, while Nacho could feature on the left side in the absence of Mendy and Marcelo. Eder Militao and David Alaba are locked in for the centre-back slots.
With Casemiro back from international duty, he should get the nod as the deepest of the three central midfielders. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will take up slightly advanced positions and provide creativity.
With Benzema unavailable, Luka Jovic is expected to get the nod as the central striker while Marco Asensio should feature on the right flank. Vinicius Junior should start ahead of Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale out on the left-wing despite having just returned from international duty.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Nacho; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Asensio, Jovic, Vinicius
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won their last four away matches against Athletic Bilbao in all competitions.
- Athletic Bilbao are the second-most successful side in the Copa del Rey, winning it 23 times. They finished as runners-up in the last two seasons.
- Real Madrid have won the Copa del Rey on 19 occasions. Only Barcelona (31) and Athletic Bilbao have won the competition more times.
- Real Madrid have not lost any of their last six games in all competitions, drawing two.
- Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have both defeated each other on eight occasions in the Copa del Rey in the past (2 draws).
Player to Watch
Marco Asensio
Work Work Work?!! Listo para lo que viene.#MAW11 pic.twitter.com/krN7W3rA9l
— Marco Asensio (@marcoasensio10) January 29, 2022
With Karim Benzema unavailable and Vinicius Junior likely to be fatigued after his international commitments, the responsibility of leading the charge in the final third for Real Madrid on Thursday is expected to fall on the shoulders of Marco Asensio. The Spaniard has endured a mixed campaign thus far, but there have been occasions when he has shown his true quality, making vital contributions to the team’s cause.
In total, the 26-year-old has a tally of seven goals and an assist from 23 matches in all competitions so far. Asensio was on target in Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash against Alcoyano and will be looking forward to adding to his tally against Athletic Bilbao.
Prediction
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid have beaten Athletic Bilbao on three occasions already this season. However, the wins were not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and the Basque outfit will make life difficult for Carlo Ancelotti’s men again. Furthermore, the absence of key men like Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy is also likely to play a role in the outcome of the game.
Marcelino’s men have been on a decent run of late and have beaten both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the past month. The Hard Tackle expects them to add Real Madrid to their list of scalps on Thursday, in the process progressing to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
