Just four teams are left standing in the Copa del Rey this season, and a place in the final will either go the way of Athletic Bilbao or Osasuna. The latter of the teams will have home advantage for the first leg between the sides on Wednesday evening.
Copa del Rey Preview
It has been an excellent run to reach this stage of the competition by Osasuna, as they have their sights set on winning a first Copa del Rey in their history. They previously reached the final in 2005, but they were denied a historic win by Real Betis. Osasuna has been in solid form throughout their run to this stage this season, as they have seen off two La Liga opponents.
After defeating Arnedo and Gimnastic in the first two rounds, Osasuna had their fair share of luck to eliminate Real Betis on penalties in the round of 16. In the previous round, Osasuna came up against Sevilla, but they rose to that challenge to land a 2-1 home win. Abde Ezzalzouli was the hero in that quarterfinal, as he netted the winner in the ninth minute of extra time.
Athletic Bilbao is one of the most consistent clubs in Copa del Rey history, as they are chasing a 24th honour in the competition’s history this term. They have reached the final on three occasions since 2013, but they have finished as the runners-up on all attempts. Last season, they fell at the semi-final stage.
Bilbao was excellent in the previous round of the competition, as they raised their performance at a pivotal stage to pick up a 3-1 win against Valencia. Iker Munian and Nico Williams ensured that they were ahead 2-1 going into the break, before Mikel Vesga confirmed their spot at this stage.
Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head
This is the first meeting between these teams in the Copa Del Rey since 2009. On that occasion, Bilbao progressed 3-1 on aggregate. Bilbao also comes into this fixture having gone four without defeat against Bilbao in La Liga fixtures.
Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
This home leg will be crucial for Osasuna and their chances of reaching the final. We could see them making home advantage count on Wednesday by securing a 1-0 win. But, the tie will still be in the balance ahead of the return leg in Bilbao.
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