Copa del Rey Semifinals Leg 1 Odds & Picks: Sevilla vs Barcelona & Athletic Bilbao vs Levante

• Spain’s Copa del Rey returns to action a single week after the quarterfinal stage, with two mouth-watering matchups in the two-legged semifinals
• Sevilla hosts Barcelona on Wednesday (3:00 pm ET), with Athletic Bilbao — looking to qualify for a second-straight Copa del Rey final — hosting Levante on Thursday (3:00 pm)
• Get a breakdown of all four clubs, the matchup odds and a few value picks below

The Copa del Rey has not been short on surprises this season, so it is somewhat eye-catching that two big clubs have made it to this stage of the competition.

Both Real and Atletico Madrid were dispatched from the competition by third-division sides in Alcoyano and Cornella respectively, paving the way for a non-power three winner.

Of course, the winner of the Sevilla-Barcelona semifinal will still be heavily favored in April’s final — though Athletic Bilbao may have something to say, with their April 3 final in the 2019-20 edition of the COVID-delayed Copa against Real Sociedad still to be played as well.

Levante are the obvious outlier of the group, with no history of success in the domestic cup except for a contested 1937 win during the Spanish Civil War which only featured four clubs.

Copa del Rey Semifinal Odds

Odds taken Feb 8 at DraftKings

Sevilla vs Barcelona Prediction

One obvious value play off the top includes Sevilla at a pick (+130), with Sevilla having drawn the last two meetings and holding a 1-2-3 record against its visitors dating back to 2019.

Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla has rattled off seven-straight wins since a 2-0 defeat at Atleti back on January 12 and looked defensively airtight in the process — conceding just once.

🔜 #CopaDelRey 🏆 👌🏼#WeareSevilla #NeverSurrender pic.twitter.com/FBRZ9g5VKa

— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) February 9, 2021

Barcelona has been rolling in its own right, with six victories on the trot since a demoralizing 3-2 Supercopa final defeat to Bilbao on January 17; Ronald Koeman’s squad has been smashing Overs of late, with five- and eight-total goal contests in its last two outings against Real Betis (3-2) and Granada (5-3).

Athletic Bilbao vs Levante Prediction

Additionally, the Over 2.5 in the Athletic-Levante could be a strong play, as Athletic’s home matches are averaging 2.6 total goals and Levante’s away matches slightly more at 2.7.

Bilbao’s last two matches have both ended in 1-1 draws, snapping a seven-game streak of the Over 2.5 hitting in Athletic’s matches.

Levante is king of the Over 2.5, with five of its last six matches hitting including a wild 2-2 draw against Granada on Saturday.

Seven of the last eight head-to-heads have gone Over — expect Thursday to do so as well.

Futures Value: Who Will Come Out on Top?

Favored at +118 for Wednesday’s first leg at Sevilla, it’s unsurprising to see Barcelona as the outright favorite (+110) on DraftKings.

Koeman’s side has been red hot of late, filling the net against decent mid-table sides lately. With a league title looking increasingly unlikely and a Supercopa defeat not that far in the rearview mirror, expect the Blaugrana to be more motivated than usual to salvage a piece of silverware in Spain this season.

At +250 and with a long list of runner-up medals in both the Supercopa (2010, ’16, ’18) and Copa del Rey (2016, ’18), Sevilla have a recent history of reaching finals — but not necessarily winning them — domestically.

Bilbao is a known quantity at +325, with the horses to make a run and a favorable matchup against Levante; plucky with the quality to get it done on any given day, there is value here.

Ultra-longshot Levante (+800) has not progressed past the competition’s quarterfinals before and would be hard-pressed to qualify over two legs (+110) let alone lift the trophy for the first time in club history.

Copa del Rey Semifinals Best Bets

With draws in its last two meetings with Barça, Sevilla should at the very least be able to keep it competitive at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday — making the plus-money on the hosts in a pick’em scenario good value.

While the first leg of a two-legged series is often lower scoring than the second — hence the near-even return — Athletic-Levante’s matchup history and general trends since the turn of the calendar make the Over 2.5 a can’t-miss opportunity.

Wednesday Pick: Sevilla pk (+130) / Thursday Pick: Over 2.5 (-104)