Barcelona to triumph in clash of cup kings
In a repeat of the 2008-09 Final, Barcelona host Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their round-of-16 Copa del Rey encounter this evening and the duo are the two most successful in the competition's history, having triumphed an incredible 49 times between them.
Athletic Bilbao haven't won the trophy since 1983-84 though and were seen off 4-1 when the teams met at the Mestalla two years ago, so it's difficult to be optimistic about their chances of present the argument for backing them at [21.0] - and we say that despite stating the case for Real Madrid, Osasuna and Espanyol to take points off them in recent weeks!
Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw in the Basque Country last November but that was the only one of the last eight meetings between the sides that the Catalan club failed to win. Equally concerning for the visitors is the fact that their only away victories against La Liga opposition this season have come against promoted duo Hercules and Levante.
Los Leones have lost on all of their trips to top-half teams, continuing a dismal travelling record that has plagued them for a few years now, and it's difficult to quarrel with Barcelona's position as [1.16] favourites.
The positive for Joaquin Caparros' men and the reason to be hopeful that the tie won't be totally killed off at the Camp Nou tonight is that they have found the net in five of their last six collisions with Barcelona, all of which have come under Pep Guardiola's watch.
The Barcelona clean sheet can be opposed at the attractive price of [2.08], while fans of correct score punts will be intrigued to learn that 3-1 ([11.5]) and 4-1 ([14.5]) scorelines have occurred on several occasions when these sides have faced off of late.
Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao
Kick-off: 7pm
Live on Sky Sports 2
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Published: 21 Dec 2010
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