The first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad will take place on 11 February at San Mames in Bilbao. Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Athletic Club
In the previous round, the team snatched a win over Valencia thanks to a 90th-minute goal (2:1). It was the first time in this season’s Copa del Rey run that Athletic Club got the job done inside 90 minutes; earlier, in matches against Ourense and Cultural Leonesa, the Basques only won after extra time. Reaching the semi-finals can hardly be called a major event, given the club have made it to this stage for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Two years ago, the team even lifted the trophy after beating Mallorca on penalties. Overall, Athletic Club have won the national cup 24 times, with only Barcelona (32) ahead in terms of total trophies.
- The Basques have avoided defeat in 90 minutes in 13 of their previous 14 Copa del Rey matches (7 wins, 6 draws).
- The club’s scoring run at home in this competition stands at 14 matches.
- At least two goals have been scored in Athletic Club’s last five home matches in the Copa del Rey.
Potential Athletic Club Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Unai Simon – Andoni Gorosabel, Aitor Paredes, Aymeric Laporte, Yuri Berchiche – Mikel Jauregizar, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Nico Williams, Nico Serrano, Gorka Guruzeta – Inaki Williams.
Due to injuries, defenders Dani Vivian and Unai Egiluz, midfielders Oihan Sancet and Benat Prados, and forwards Alex Berenguer and Maroan Sannadi will miss out.
Real Sociedad
Ahead of the derby against Athletic Club, the club have already come through five cup rounds — the longest run among the remaining teams in the competition. In the last two stages, Real Sociedad faced LaLiga opposition: first they beat Osasuna on penalties, then produced a thrilling comeback win away at Alaves (3:2). Before that, the Basques overcame Negreira, Reddis and Eldense with an aggregate score of 7:1. The team will play in the semi-finals of the national cup for the third year in a row, although on the previous two occasions this round proved to be the end of the road. They have not reached the final since the 2019/20 season, when Real Sociedad defeated Athletic Club (1:0) to win the Copa del Rey for the third time in their history.
- The club have won in 90 minutes in six consecutive away matches in the Copa del Rey.
- The Basques’ scoring run in this competition has reached six matches.
- Real Sociedad have won with a (+1.5) handicap in 24 straight matches in the national cup.
Potential Real Sociedad Lineup (4-4-2)*
Alejandro Remiro – Igor Zubeldia, Duenas Chale ta-Tsar, Alvaro Odriozola, Sergio Gomez – Jon Gorrochategi, Goncalo Guedes, Carlos Soler, Pablo Marin – Luka Sucic, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Due to fitness issues, midfielders Luka Sucic, Ander Barrenetxea, Arsen Zakharyan and Takefusa Kubo, as well as goalkeeper Unai Marrero, are not ready for the game.
Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad: Match Prediction
The two sides have reached the semi-finals primarily thanks to their strong scoring output. Although Athletic Club only found the net in extra time in their first cup match, across the next two games the team scored six goals in total, with five of those coming inside 90 minutes. Overall, the Basques have scored in regulation time in 12 of their last 14 matches in this competition. At the same time, Athletic Club do not keep clean sheets particularly often — of their last six Copa del Rey matches, only two ended goalless at the back for the club.
Real Sociedad have scored consistently across six matches in the national cup, and in every case the team have notched at least two goals. However, producing the same level defensively has often proved difficult — as a result, both teams scored in four of those six matches, including each of the last three.
The most likely scenario is that both teams will create at least one clear chance to score in this head-to-head as well.
Prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from its previous match.
