Athletic vs Espanyol: prediction for the Copa del Rey match
Athletic suffered a defeat in the most recent La Liga fixture, but will they secure a victory over Espanyol in Copa del Rey on January 18? The answer is in our prediction.

Command Analysis

Athletic Bilbao

Athletic lost a crucial game in San Sebastian. The Lions suffered a defeat to Real Sociedad (1:3) in a Basque derby. That defeat puts team into the 8th position in the La Liga standings. After 17 matches of the current season Bilbao side has seven victories and five draws, delivering 26 points. In the previous round of Copa del Rey team secured a big victory over Eldense (6:1).

Espanyol

After Diego Martinez praised his players, Espanyol put up a strong performance in Madrid, getting an important victory over Getafe by a 2:1 score.
That victory extended the unbeaten run to six games for the Budgerigars and got them out of the relegation zone. In previous rounds of Copa del Rey the White-Blues managed to beat Paso (1:0) and Celta (3:1 a.e.t.).
Trends
СтавкаCorrect score 2:0
Athletic won 3 of 5 latest head-to-head matches

СтавкаGoals in both halves - yes
This bet played in each of four latest away matches of Espanyol

СтавкаCorners: total under 9,5
This bet played in 3 of 5 latest matches of the hosts

Tip and bets
We are expecting a strong offensive performance from both sides, opponents are motivated to advance further in the Cup. Hosts are always among the favourites in that competition, so we are expecting a success from the Basques.
Our prediction - Asian handicap (-1) on Athletic
We are expecting a strong defensive performance from Bilbao, they are always accurate on defense, so they should be able to secure a comfortable victory. Moreover, the Lions are quite successful on away fixtures.
Our second bet is on total under 2,5 goals