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Copa del Rey Final Betting – Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Athletic Bilbao (+1100) vs. Barcelona (-450), Draw +(500)

Barcelona are currently in search of the second treble in the team’s history. With the La Liga crown already in their back pocket, the second item on the list is the Copa Del Rey title. Standing between Barca and the King’s Cup is Athletic Bilbao, but Los Leones will have an uphill battle on their hands with the one-game final being played at the Camp Nou on Saturday (3:30 PM Eastern).

Barcelona requested that the Copa del Rey final be played at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. But, rumor has it, Real Madrid were staunchly against have their archrivals play in their home stadium. After a series of talks and negotiations, the winner-take-all clash was scheduled for Barcelona’s home field.

Since January, Barcelona have been the best team in European soccer, not only winning La Liga, but also advancing to the Champions League final, beating Bayern Munich in the semifinals.

Barcelona actually lost their last game against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UCL semis, but that was only their second loss since February (18-2-2, all competitions).

“It is obvious that after this season, we are optimistic about the two games we have left,” manager Luis Enrique told ESPN FC. “I want to take this chance to call for fans to come and support us. Their support will be good for us as we try and win two more trophies. But we do not forget that this is a thing that the club has only done once before.”

Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, have been on a hot streak of their own, though it doesn’t rival Barcelona’s. Los Leones are unbeaten over their last seven games (4-3-0) and eliminated Espanyol, Malaga, Celta de Vigo, and Alcoyano on their way to the final.

 

The winner of the Copa Del Rey is guaranteed a spot in next year’s Champions League, but since Barcelona have already qualified as La Liga champs, Athletic will receive a UCL berth no matter the outcome.

Barcelona have won three of the last four against Athletic Bilbao, including the two this season. The last time Athletic won at the Nou Camp was all the way back in the 2001-02 season. With the Catalans still motivated by the treble, don’t expect anything other than a Barca win.

Pick: Barcelona.

(Photo credit: Lluís from Sabadell (Barcelona), España (LFS_14039) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)

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