Our soccer expert shares betting tips and previews the Copa del Rey final taking place this weekend between two teams starved of major success in the competition in the 21st century.

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Athletic Club vs Mallorca (Saturday 21:00 UTC)

This eagerly anticipated match is the culmination of Spain’s most prestigious cup competition and will be played this weekend at the Estadio La Cartuja, Sevilla - the fifth successive occasion the match will be held at the 60,000-seat arena. The teams will approach the final at different sides of the La Liga table with Mallorca currently fending off relegation in 15th position with 31 points and Athletic Club in 5th place with 56 points, fighting to break into the top four and claim a Champions League spot for next season.

Mallorca landed a spot in the final following a penalty shootout following a 1-1 aggregate result with Real Sociedad with the solitary goal from Uruguayan international right-back Giovanni González, while Athletic thumped Atlético de Madrid 4-0 across the two legs to firmly place them in the final. Both sides approach the new weekend after a mixed bag of results from one prior, with Bilbao falling short in the El Viejo Clásico 2-0 to Los Blancos in Madrid compliments of a Rodyrgo brace, while Mallorca procured a much-needed point from a 0-0 result away in Valencia. Athletic Club Bilbao Handicap - Match -1.5 at 3.03.

Both sides will be vying for this trophy heartily as their first silverware in years, with the Basque team looking to undo a troublesome run of six successive final defeats since their domestic double in 1983/84, with the latest tragedy being at the hands of Barcelona 4-0 in 2021, with a Lionel Messi scoring two along with goals from Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong. The Balearic team on the other hand will be looking to emulate the 2003 cup win where the club lifted the trophy following a 3-0 victory over Recreativo de Huelva. Mallorca to Score? Yes at 1.90.

LATEST COPA DEL REY ODDS

The Copa del Rey was Spain’s football national championship from 1903 until the foundation of the Campeonato de Liga, the League Championship, in 1928. Before the formation of La Liga in 1929, the competition was effectively a national championship. The semi-final is the only round played over two legs. The winners qualify for both the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Europa League. FC Barcelona has won La Copa a record amount of 31 times, while this occasion contenders Athletic Club de Bilbao have won the trophy 23 times and Real Madrid has won it 19 times.

The top goal scorer in the history of the Copa del Rey is Telmo Zarra who scored a total of 81 times for Athletic Bilbao from 1939 to 1957. The rest of the records are dominated by a player popularly considered by many fans and pundits alike the world's greatest - Lionel Messi. The Argentinian holds the record for finals scored in at seven for a total of nine goals. While he has also provided the most assists in finals with six, he has the most man of the match awards in finals with three, the most appearances in finals with ten and has the most Copa del Rey championship wins with seven.

Los Bermellones manager Javier Aguirre has no injuries in the team at all making selection a breeze, while his Los Leones counterpart Ernesto Valverde only has to consider the omission of centre-back Yeray Álvarez due to injury. A key player for Bilbao is Spanish international left winger Nico Williams whose efforts have been crucial for the team this season as he's contributed 13 assists across all competitions, fans will be hoping he'll be setting up striker Gorka Guruzeta for another goal to add to his tally of 15 for the season. Total - Match Over 2.5 at 2.38.

Mallorca will ultimately be going into this match as underdogs, although they have been nothing but resilient through the cup's knockout rounds so they will still provide a test for a resurgent Athletic side who are chasing the glories of old once more.

1x2 1.636 3.66 6.00

**Odds are subject to change. Odds accurate as of 10:00 UTC Friday 5th April**

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