Prediction: Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona

24th May 2012

The two sides put all their hopes in Copa del Rey final after missing several great opportunities to make this season a success, and that should guarantee us an exciting game of football at Vicente Calderon. With both Athletic and Barcelona famous for their ability to entertain, this should be one of the most interesting finals in the history of the competition.

Just few weeks ago, Athletic looked to be on top of the world as they had qualified for Copa del Rey and Europa League finals and were fighting for the final Champions League berth in La Liga, but things have changed considerably since. Several under-par showings in La Liga denied the team a chance to fight for a top 4 finish, whereas the 3-0 defeat in the Europa League final served as a major blow to team’s confidence. Los Leones now have another opportunity to save this season, but facing Barca in the final after they missed out on La Liga and Champions League titles is hardly the perfect scenario. Nonetheless, Athletic players have no reason to fear their more illustrious opponents, having already shown they can match just about any opponent on their day and there are no doubts a two-week break will do them a world of good, following the hectic schedule over the last few months. On top of that, Marcelo Bielsa has no injury worries after Ander Herrera and Ander Iturraspe resumed full training.

These are testing times for Barcelona as they prepare for life without Pep Guardiola, and the Copa del Rey final comes at a bad time after several key players picked up serious injuries. However, the Catalans have no choice but to try and win this game after their La Liga and Champions League failures, and the players that step out on the pitch will have to give their best for the team. The two week break is unlikely to have a good effect on the squad seeing that Barcelona gained some momentum in the final stage of their league campaign, whereas the absence of several important players will only add insult to injury. Even if Dani Alves, Carles Puyol and David Villa have been ruled out, the most important thing is that star trio Messi, Iniesta, Xavi is fit to feature and these players are expected to lead Barca to their first major trophy this season.

Conclusion

There are no doubts Barcelona are closer to victory here, but I am pretty sure Athletic will put up a decent fight and give their best to utilize their attacking potential to the maximum. A very open game is on the cards and backing both teams to score look a good choice here.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: BetVictor