Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Copa del Rey match.
Barcelona’s recent form, which has seen them return to the top of La Liga, positions them as the favourites for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atlético Madrid. The Madrid side are expected to apply pressure, but Barcelona will likely control the game’s tempo.
Barcelona
Barcelona have won five consecutive matches in February, scoring a total of 13 goals. In the previous round of the Copa del Rey, they defeated Valencia (5:0), with Ferran Torres scoring a hat-trick in the first half. Barcelona generated 2.82 xG over the course of the match. However, Barcelona have the poorest xGA figure among the top four La Liga teams (29.65), suggesting they concede opportunities to their opponents regularly.
Atlético Madrid
At the beginning of the month, Atlético Madrid also comfortably dispatched Getafe in the Copa del Rey quarter-final stage (5:0) – Giuliano Simeone scored twice by the 17th minute, while Ángel Correa came off the bench to contribute a goal and an assist. Julián Alvarez has been in good form, recording 6+2 in his last 10 matches. In five Copa del Rey appearances, he has 4+1. Since November 26th, Atlético Madrid have won 8 out of 10 games.
Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid Prediction
It’s worth noting that, just before Christmas, Barcelona suffered their first home defeat to Atlético Madrid in almost 20 years (1:2). We anticipate that this second meeting between the Spanish giants this season will again be a high-scoring encounter, with both attacks expected to score.
