Granada vs Athletic Bilbao Odds & Pick: Copa del Rey Semifinals Leg 2
- Bilbao lead 1-0 from first leg in Spanish Copa del Rey Semifinals
- Athletic club seeking 24th triumph in competition
- See all Odds and Best Bets for Granada vs Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao will take a slender one-goal lead into the second leg of Spain’s Copa del Rey semifinal away against Granada on Thursday.
The first leg was dominated by Bilbao side but they managed only a 1-0 win thanks to Iker Muniain’s goal.
Granada sit one place above Bilbao in La Liga in ninth position ahead of the return cup meeting (March 5, Stadio Nuevo de Los Carmenes, 3 pm ET).
After four defeats in the last five La Liga fixtures for Bilbao, sportsbooks make Granada the favorite to win the game at +150. Bilbao are +189 with the draw on the night at +183.
Granada vs Athletic Bilbao Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granada | pk (-136) | +150 | Over 2 (-119) |
| Athletic Bilbao | pk (-101) | +189 | Under 2 (-114) |
| Draw | N/A | +183 | N/A |
Odds taken on March 1st.
This is likely to be a tight affair with draw offering the best value.
Although they have not won the competition since 1983-84, Bilbao are seeking their 24th triumph in the Copa del Rey.
It has never been won by Granada, although they were runners-up in 1958-59. Their last appearance in the semifinals was in 1968-69.
Bilbao also had two goals disallowed as they staged a dominant attacking performance in the first leg.
But in terms of recent form, Granada are in better shape with Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Celta Vigo in La Liga following two successive victories against Real Valladolid and Osasuna.
Run of Four Defeats Ended
Meanwhile, Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat of Villareal – thanks to a Raul Garcia penalty – ended a run of four straight league defeats for Bilbao.
Both teams secured major results to win their place in the last four.
Catalan giants Barcelona were eliminated by Bilbao thanks to a late own goal by Sergio Busquets at the Basque club’s home San Mames stadium.
Now, this is the first time in a decade that neither of Spain’s heavyweight pair Barca and Real Madrid have been in the semi-finals
Meanwhile, Granada were 2-1 winners against the holders Valencia.
Barcelona had been winners of the trophy in four of the last five seasons.
Now, this is the first time in a decade that neither of Spain’s heavyweight pair Barca and Real Madrid have been in the semi-finals
FULL TIME I End of the match at San Mamés. The bad run in @LaLigaEN finishes and Athletic get the three points at The Cathedral.
💪 C'mon, lions!!
1-0 I #AthleticVillarreal #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/h444QMaFEY
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) March 1, 2020
Real Sociedad of San Sebastian lead La Liga Segunda Division club Mirandes 2-1 in the other semi-final with the second leg on Wednesday.
This raises the prospect of a final between Sociedad and Bilbao – both from the fiercely independent Basque region – in Seville on April 18.
How They Matchup
The quarterfinal win against Barcelona was Bilbao’s first collision with a Primera Division team in this season’s Copa del Rey.
There was a 2-0 win for Bilbao when they met Granada at home in La Liga on December 1 with the goals coming from a Raul Garcia penalty and a late follow-up from Yuri Berciche.
Copa del Rey Key Stats
| 5 | Wins | 4 |
| 1 | Losses | 0 |
| 0 | Draws | 2 |
| 12 | Goals | 13 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 4 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 4 |
| 16 | Yellow Cards | 10 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 1 |
Prior to the semifinal first leg, Granada had been beaten in all three of their previous encounters with Bilbao and had not won in four attempts.
Granada have won 11 times and drawn four times with 11 defeats in La Liga.
The record for Bilbao stands at eight wins with 10 draws and eight defeats
🚨Celta Vigo Vs Granada match report is out now🚨
Match
🏆League:La Liga
⌛ Time:20:00
📆Date: 29th Feb 2020Check it out for
📝Stats
📈Graphs
✅Ratings
💥And morehttps://t.co/mNhPgWpvVc— Footie 9 (@Football_Info86) March 1, 2020
Judged by home and away form in La Liga before the second leg, Granada had the sixth best record on their own patch in the south of Spain with eight wins, two draws and three defeats.
The road trip record for Bilbao stood at only one win with seven draws and five defeats.
However, a draw will be enough to see them into the final thanks to their narrow first leg advantage.
Bilbao’s leading goal-getter is Inaki Williams who has eight in all competition with Raul Garcia on seven.
Granada have not been prolific goal scorers this season. Their leading marksmen are Roberto Soldado and Carlos Fernandez who have each found the net six times in all competition.
Bilbao’s leading goal-getter is Inaki Williams who has eight in all competition with Raul Garcia on seven.
Pick: Draw +183
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
