The Copa del Rey quarter-final match between Valencia and Athletic Club will take place on 4 february at Mestalla stadium. Valencia vs Athletic Club: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Valencia
Valencia advanced through four rounds, although the home team did not face any La Liga opponents along the way. The hosts already had problems in the second round of the Copa del Rey against Cartagena, failing to win in regular time and progressing only after extra time. Before that, there was a routine 5:0 rout of Maracena, while in two winter rounds the home side beat Sporting Gijón and Burgos by identical 2:0 scores. Reaching the quarter-finals can be considered a regular occurrence, as the club has gone this far in 4 of the last 5 seasons. It is worth noting that Valencia are eight-time winners of the national cup, last lifting the trophy in 2019.
- The club has conceded only 1 goal in 4 matches since the start of the current Copa del Rey campaign.
- The home side's uncompromising home run in this competition spans 15 games (10 wins, 5 losses).
- At least 2 goals have been scored in 8 of the club's matches in the Copa del Rey.
Potential Valencia Lineup (4-4-2)*
Valencia: Stole Dimitrievski – Dimitri Foulquier, Eray Cömert, José Manuel Copete, José Luis Gayà – Filip Ugrinic, Pepelu, Arnaut Danjuma, Luis Rioja – Lucas Beltrán, Hugo Duro.
Goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, as well as defenders Thierry Correia and Mouctar Diakhaby, are unavailable due to injuries. The participation of another defender, José Manuel Copete, is in doubt.
Athletic Club
Athletic Club, as one of the clubs that finished in the top four of La Liga last season, began their cup campaign in the round of 32. The visitors also did not meet La Liga representatives earlier, but that did not prevent tight contests and extra-time dramas. Against both Ourense and Cultural Leonesa the away team progressed only after 120 minutes. In the second match Athletic Club won in a vivid shootout that finished 4:3. The visitors have reached the quarter-finals of the national cup in 6 of the last 7 seasons. During that period the club managed to win the trophy, beating Mallorca on penalties in 2024. In total Athletic Club have won the Copa del Rey 24 times, with only Barcelona (32) ahead of them in that respect.
- Athletic Club failed to win in regular time in 4 of their last 5 Copa del Rey matches (3 draws, 1 loss).
- The club has won with a +1.5 handicap across 24 matches in this competition.
- No fewer than 2 goals were scored in 9 of the visitors' last 12 matches in the national cup.
Potential Athletic Club Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Athletic Club: Unai Simón – Jesús Areso, Aitor Paredes, Adama Boiro, Yuri Berchiche – Mikel Hauregizar, Alejandro Rego – Nico Williams, Unai Gomez, Alex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Due to injuries the away team will be without defenders Daniel Vivian and Unai Etxilus, midfielders Oihan Sancet and Beñat Prados, and forward Maroan Sannadi.
Referee
Victor Garcia Verdura (Spain)
Matches – 14 (La Liga and Copa del Rey, 2025/26);
Yellow/second yellow cards shown – 43;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 1;
Fouls average per match – 23;
Penalties – 7%.
Valencia vs Athletic Club: Match Prediction
Both sides have habitually reached the late stages of the Copa del Rey, but this will be the first meeting for each side with a La Liga opponent in the current edition. Previously, when playing as favorites, Valencia consistently scored at least 2 goals per match. True, in the round of 64 the second goal arrived only during extra time. Overall, however, the hosts scored at least once in regular time in 23 of their last 24 Copa del Rey matches. In the last 9 home matches in this competition Valencia failed to score only against Barcelona.
Athletic Club unexpectedly failed to score in regular time in the round of 32 against Ourense, but in the next stage, away at Cultural Leonesa, the visitors produced three goals in regular time and another in extra time. A goalless game in the national cup is a rare phenomenon for the away side: excluding extra time, the visitors scored in 11 of their last 13 matches in this competition. Looking at away form, Athletic Club found the net in regular time in 5 of their last 7 Copa del Rey matches.
It is quite likely that the Valencia vs Athletic Club encounter will feature an exchange of goals.
Prediction: Both Teams To Score
* The starting lineup shown for each team is from their previous match.
