Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will lock horns in the Copa del Rey on Thursday evening, with a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition on offer at San Mames.
Both sides have recently been in Spanish Super Cup action, with Barcelona losing to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the competition, before Athletic were beaten by Carlo Ancelotti's side in the final.
Match preview
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Athletic had the chance to make it back-to-back Spanish Super Cups on Sunday, having beaten Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the competition on January 13, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the final.
The Basque outfit will now switch their attention to the Copa del Rey, booking their spot in the last-16 stage of the competition courtesy of a 2-0 win over Mancha Real towards the start of the month.
Athletic are the second-most successful side in the history of this competition, having lifted the trophy on 23 occasions, while they have also reached the final on a further 16 occasions, but their last success was back in 1984, overcoming Barcelona at Bernabeu.
Marcelino's side have won three of their last five matches in all competitions during an encouraging run, while a positive La Liga season to date has left them in ninth position in the table.
The Lions suffered a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in last season's Copa del Rey final, but they held the Catalan side to a 1-1 draw when the teams locked horns in La Liga back in August.
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Barcelona, as mentioned, lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup, with the defeat following a 1-1 draw with Granada in La Liga, which has left them sixth in the table.
The Catalan giants are the most successful side in Copa del Rey history, having won the trophy on 31 occasions, and the 2021-22 campaign could still be deemed a positive season for the club if they manage to retain the Copa del Rey, win the Europa League and secure a top-four finish in La Liga.
Xavi's side have only had to win one match to book their spot in the last-16 stage of this season's Copa del Rey, recording a 2-1 victory over Linares Deportivo on January 5.
Barcelona have shown plenty of positives since Xavi's arrival as head coach, and there are expected to be a number of changes at the club before the end of the January transfer window, with players set to leave and indeed arrive this winter.
Blaugrana will end January with a La Liga clash against Alaves on January 23 before welcoming the champions Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou towards the start of next month.
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Team News
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Athletic will again be missing Unai Nunez, Unai Vencedor and Asier Villalibre through injury for Thursday's Copa del Rey contest with the holders.
Head coach Marcelino is also expected to make a number of changes to his strongest side, with the likes of Julen Agirrezabala, Peru Nolaskoain and Nico Serrano potentially being given opportunities from the start.
Nico Williams scored twice against Mancha Real in the last round and should also earn another start, with Inaki Williams, Iker Muniain and Dani Garcia likely to be among the substitutes for the home side.
As for Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti, Eric Garcia and Sergi Roberto will miss the contest through injury, while Martin Braithwaite remains a fitness doubt for the away side despite being named in the squad.
Ansu Fati could be in line for a start, having returned from injury off the bench against Real Madrid, but Pedri is likely to feature among the substitutes once again.
Neto should be in line for a spot between the sticks, while Nico Gonzalez, Clement Lenglet and Oscar Mingueza could all be rotated into the side, but Memphis Depay might have to accept a spot on the bench once again, even with Luuk de Jong missing out through suspension.
Ousmane Dembele has been left out of the squad, meanwhile, with the Frenchman told to leave Camp Nou.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Agirrezabala; Alex, Vivian, Martinez, Lekue; N Williams, Nolaskoain, Vesga, Serrano; R Garcia, Berenguer
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Neto; Alves, Mingueza, Lenglet, Alba; Nico, Busquets, F de Jong; Torres, Jutgla, Fati
We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Barcelona
It is difficult to know exactly what to expect on Thursday, as both managers will make changes from their usual starting teams. Barcelona's squad is starting to look a lot stronger following their injury issues, though, and we fancy the Catalan giants to navigate their way to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barcelona win with a probability of 44.03%. A win for Athletic Bilbao had a probability of 30.07% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Barcelona win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.01%) and 0-2 (7.75%). The likeliest Athletic Bilbao win was 1-0 (8.42%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.31%).
