It’s always a welcome novelty when the Copa del Rey final does not involve either of the big two, and winners outside of El Clasico have been fairly frequent in recent years. Next week month Atheltic Club and Real Mallorca will go to battle in the final in Seville.
Undoubtedly, the favourites for the competition will come from the semi-final clash which finished in Bilbao. Athletic took a 1-0 lead back to San Mames with them after the first leg, Alex Berenguer’s penalty the difference. Atletico Madrid started well in the second leg at San Mames, but were mauled on the break by the rampant Williams brothers, ending in a 3-0 defeat for Atletico, one of their most comprehensive of the season.
Athletic are likely to be backed on Betnow, and are on the verge of catching Atletico Madrid in La Liga too. Los Leones are enjoying their best season in some time, and Ernesto Valverde will be masterminding a desperate attempt to end their Copa del Rey drought which has lasted 40 years now.
Across the water in the Balearic Islands, Real Mallorca will be hoping to add to their single Copa del Rey trophy won in 2003, after beating Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena to do so. Takign a 0-0 draw to Gipuzkoa after Umar Sadiq contrived to miss three gilt-edged chances, Javier Aguirre’s team hung in under severe pressure in the second leg, challenging Real Sociedad to live down the favourites tag. As it were, back-up goalkeeper Dominik Greif was the hero, stopping a Brais Mendez penalty in the first half and a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty in the shoot-out, sending Mallorca through to the final.
This season there is no argument that the former are the better side, but Mallorca are experts at making life difficult for perceived favourites, albeit more so on the island. It is finely poised for the final. Based on form, Athletic have to be the favourites to lift the trophy, but the actual final is still over three weeks away, which can be a lifetime in the game. Athletic have more experience in this competition in recent years than their opponents, but not of winning it.
Los Bermellones will likely see the match in a similar light to their trip to Gipuzkoa, where all of the pressure will be on the Basques, and as long as they do not have to chase the game, the odds continue to move in their favour.
