Athletic Club and Mallorca meet in the final of the 2024 Copa del Rey on Saturday. The two will battle it out for Spain’s domestic cup, with Athletic Club the favorites to win the trophy for the first time since 1984. In our latest soccer betting picks, we take a look at Athletic’s chances of winning Spain’s most prestigious cup competition once again.
The last time that Athletico won the Copa del Rey was in the glory days of Javier Clemente, who led the club to the La Liga and Copa del Rey double in the 1983/84 season.
That was the 23rd and last time the Red and Whites lifted the trophy, and with such a distinguished record in the competition, current Head coach Ernesto Valverde knows that another trophy win is well overdue.
Real Mallorca are more recent winners than their opponents this Saturday. The Pirates have been in the final three times before. Their most recent appearance was in 2003, where they defeated Recreativo de Huelva 3-0, giving the club their first and only Copa del Rey Cup win.
If Mallorca is to lift the trophy for only a second time, they are going to have to turn over an overwhelming betting favorite. In the betting to win the Copa del Rey, the best La Liga betting sites make Athletic Club -334 to lift the cup for the 24th time. Mallorca is +240.
There has been a substantial gamble on the Red and Whites. At the start of the week, Athletic was -275. They have now been backed into -334. Over the same period, Mallorca has seen their odds to win the cup drift from +200 to +240.
In the 90-minute betting, the best soccer betting sites make Athletic Club -163 to win in regulation time. Mallorca is +450, and the draw is +275.
In the props markets, BetUS is +135 for over 2.5 goals and -163 for under 2.5. And on the handicap line, they make Athletic Club -154 from -0.5 goals and Mallorca +124 from +0.5-goal start. More Copa del Rey betting options are available on our odds table.
| 2024 Copa del Rey |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Cub | -163 | -163 | -154 |
| Mallorca | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Draw | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| To Lift The Trophy | |||
| Athletic Cub | -334 | -334 | -334 |
| Mallorca | +240 | +240 | +240 |
Getting to the final for Athletic Club has been some achievement as they have had to do it the hard way.
In the quarter-final, they defeated the mighty Barcelona 4-2. The Red and White had to come from a goal down to secure extra time at 2-2. They then secured the win with two goals in the additional 30 minutes.
Their reward for the victory over Barcelona was a semi-final showdown with Atletico Madrid. Athletic Club won the first leg in Madrid by a 1-0 scoreline. They then clinched their place in the final with a 3-0 home-field win in the 2nd leg.
In La Liga, Ernesto Valverde’s team is going well. They currently sit in fourth position, two points ahead of Atletico, who they are in a titanic scuffle with to secure the final place in the top four and with it, a place in next season’s Champions League.
Real Mallorca’s route to the final hasn’t been as difficult looking on paper. But it has certainly been eventful.
In the quarter-final, they defeated Girona 3-2. The Pirates were 3-0 up and coasting. But a 67th-minute red card left them exposed, and they had to survive an onslaught from Girona. Eventually, Mallorca held out for the win, but it could have been so different, with Girona securing a massive 74% of the possession and having more shots on goal (19-14).
In the semi-final, penalties were needed to knock Real Sociedad out over two legs. A 0-0 draw in Mallorca was followed by a 1-1 draw in Sociedad. Despite taking another battering in the statistics (Sociedad won the shot count 26-6), Mallorca held on for penalties, eventually winning the tie 5-4 on spot kicks.
In La Liga this season, the Pirates are struggling. They currently sit in 15th place, six points above the drop zone. But things are looking better, as Mallorca has only lost one of their last five in the league.
These two teams met in La Liga on February 2nd. With home-field advantage, Athletic Club was convincing 4-0 winners with goals from Yuri Berchiche (x2), Gorka Guruzeta, and Iker Muniain.
The gap in the league table between the two teams highlights the gulf in class. Athletic Club is a team on the up. In Iñaki, Nico, Sancet, and Guruzeta, they have an exciting attacking quartet. Nico is a fitness doubt. But even without him, if the teams play to form, Athletic should have enough quality to win against a Mallorca side that focuses more on making themselves difficult to beat.
We are going for Athletic Club (-0.5) to win in 90 minutes for our betting pick.
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About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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