Athletico Bilbao set for crunch Copa Del Rey tie against Valencia

Atletico Bilbao will hope to make it their fifth win in all competitions on Thursday as they host Valencia in the Copa Del Rey. Athletic Club has won its last four games in all competitions, while Valencia have been inconsistent so far with two wins, two draws, and a loss in all competitions.

Valencia beat Cadiz is in the quarterfinals, while Athletic Bilbao saw off Real Madrid in the last round with a 1-0 victory. Both sides will meet first in the first leg at the Estadio San Names. The second leg will be played on the 2nd of March at the Mestalla.

Meanwhile, Real Betis took the first leg advantage with a 2-1 win over Rato Vallecano on Wednesday. Alvara Garcia gave the home side Rayo Vallecano the lead in the fifth minute, but Borja Iglesias equalized in the 26th minute of the first half.

William Carvalho sealed the win in the 68th minute of the encounter as Betis took an advantage going into the second leg next month. Both sides will now turn their attention to the La Liga games at the weekend.

Real Betis will travel to Levante before a trip to Zenit in the Europa League. Rayo Vallecano has no European football distraction as they play Osasuna in the La Liga before facing Elche and Real Madrid before the second leg date on the 3rd of March.

Meanwhile, in other La Liga fixtures for the weekend, Sevilla will face Elche, while Cadiz will play Celta Vigo. One of the picks of the weekend games is Villarreal hosting Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid will play Getafe.

Real Betis will play Levante and resurgent Barcelona will face Espanyol, Real Sociedad will welcome Granada.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu