Spanish Super Cup: Atleti and Bilbao Tussle in a Battle of Champions

Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao

Two reigning domestic titlists are set to go head-to-head in the Spanish Super Cup this Thursday as Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao meet at the King Fahd International Stadium.

There are four teams left in this competition as other than this fun matchup, we’ll see a revival of El Clasico with Barcelona and Real Madrid facing off in the other side of the bracket. 

With this being one of Spain’s top domestic tournaments, it’s odd that the remaining games are to be held at a different venue rather than in their home country – to which it was met with criticism.

But nevertheless, we expect a ton of Spanish Super Cup 2022 highlights from these sides since the stakes are high, as this is probably the only chance for both clubs to bring home a trophy this term.

As we look forward to another exciting fixture, read on below as SBOTOP analyses what’s ahead for the midweek.

Talking Points

Atletico Madrid can save their floundering season

After being held to a draw by Villarreal in the last time out, Atletico Madrid are in dire need of a huge boost by the form of winning a trophy here in the Spanish Super Cup.

Sitting at fourth place in La Liga, their title defence is all but a pipe dream so it would be wise for Diego Simeone’s boys to go all-in for this particular tournament.

They’re two wins away from salvaging their season and they have a winnable game at hand against Athletic Bilbao. But as shown in their previous meetings and their recent form, their margin for error is so little.

Injuries and COVID-19 have plagued Atletico Madrid, so it’s fortunate for them to have a full squad this time around.

Angel Correa will lead the line once more since he’s their top scorer with eight goals and four assists, but he’ll need help from his strike partners.

Luis Suarez aims to regain his rhythm after finally ending his goal drought in their Copa del Rey victory against third tier side Rayo Majadahonda since it was his first goal since November.

With Antoine Griezmann ruled out until February due to a thigh injury, Geoffrey Kondogbia is tasked to step up take the Frenchman’s place and he has only scored one goal so far this term. 

Athletic Bilbao out for another Cinderella run

Los Leones’ title credentials here in the Spanish Super Cup is about to be tested since they’ll be missing several key players.

Attacking midfielder Unai Vencedor limped off with an injury in their last La Liga match vs. Alaves to where they were held to a goalless draw. Meanwhile, Unai Nunez and Asier Villalibre are both shelved as well.

They still have enough weapons that can neutralise Atletico Madrid, though, since their frontline is intact. The physically gifted Inaki Williams is their main attacking threat with five goals and two assists and he’ll be joined by the young Oihan Sancet.

Iker Munlain and Raul Garcia should get the start and they’ll play a very important role of keeping Atleti’s midfielders at bay.

History

These two sides have met earlier in September at La Liga where both settled for a goalless draw and Atletico Madrid were reduced to 10 men when Joao Felix was sent off at the 78^th minute.

In the Spanish Super Cup, Athletic Bilbao are the defending titlists after beating Barcelona in the final for their third title one year ago. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, have only won twice with their last triumph dating back to 2014 – which is the same year when they also got their 10^th La Liga trophy.

Betting Tip

	Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao	Atletico Madrid Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 1.91
	January 14, 03:00 (GMT+8)

Despite having similar recent form, Atletico Madrid are installed as the favourites by the Spanish Super Cup 2022 odds. Diego Simeone’s side is pegged at 1.90 to win, while Athletic Bilbao are priced at 3.95 and a draw is at 3.35 in the 1×2 market.

Most of their recent meetings have featured a decent amount of goals, so going for Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.88 sounds like a viable alternative bet.

We’re going for a close game since that has been a trend in this fixture and we see Atletico Madrid moving on to the final via a small margin.

On their best day, Athletic Bilbao can score an upset against any team. However, given their growing list of injuries compared to their counterparts, it feels like it’s just a matter of time to where they’ll be shown out of the door.

 

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