Bilbao has tradition and experience on their side but Levante is in much better form

"Lady Luck" was favorable of Athletic Bilbao during the draw last week, so she gave them the easiest opponent objectively - Levante, as a rival in the semifinals. The first match of the second semifinal of Copa del Rey will be played tonight at San Mames Stadium (23.00).

However, it is far from being easier for the Basques against the team of Paco Lopez than it would be with the remaining semifinalists, Sevilla and Barcelona. Because the lesser-known club from Valencia has only two defeats in the previous 21 games in all competitions. Since the beginning of the new year - just one, against Villarreal, in the first match in 2021. After that, in the next nine matches, none. They are also in front of Bilbao on the La Liga table.

What Levante still lacks, and what the hosts have in abundance, is experience. For the guests, tonight's semifinals will be only the second in the club's history, the first after 86 years. It will be the first for most current players in the club. Only four players in the ranks of Paco Lopez's squad have reached the semifinals of Copa del Rey in their careers so far: Coke with Sevilla, Vezo with Valencia, Radoja with Celta and Malsa with Mirandes.

Bilbao, on the other hand, has won the biggest Spanish football competition 23 times. Only Barcelona managed to do that more times. And the current coach, Marcelino, already has eight semifinals in all competitions in his CV and he certainly knows how to get to the last step. He also won the trophy, with Valencia in 2019 in the same competition, but also the previous month, knocking out first Real Madrid, and then Barcelona in the Super Cup final.

If he manages to defeat Levante in this match-up, he will schedule the third final in just four months. In the middle of January, one was already played in the Super Cup, and then in April - two in Copa del Rey, since last year's final with Sociedad has not been played yet.

Tradition suggests that Marcelino could take a big step toward that goal at San Mames. Levante has suffered six defeats in the previous seven away games at the home of the Basques, although they managed to score in three of the previous four away games.

SPAIN, COPA DEL REY – SEMIFINALS (FIRST LEG)

Wednesday

Sevilla - Barcelona 2:0 (1:0)

/Kounde 25, Rakitić 85/

Thursday

23.00: (2,05) Bilbao (3,25) Levante (3,50)

***odds are subject to change