Verdict: Over 2.5 goals scored – yes
Best Odds: 3/5
Bookmaker: 888sport
The 2018-29 season in Spain will come to a close this Saturday at Estadio Benito Villamarín, home of Real Betis. This venue will host the Copa del Rey final between FC Barcelona and Valencia. The reigning Liga champions will aim to end the season on a high note, while Los Che will try to secure another title to end their campaign strongly following a poor start to the year. This match will kick-off at 20:00 hrs BST.
FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona might have suffered a huge disappointment in the UEFA Champions League, but they cruised their way towards claiming another La Liga title and also won the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla. Can they complete the domestic treble by winning the Copa del Rey as well? Los Blaugranas have looked dominant throughout the competition, although that would’ve been expected given the quality and depth of their overall squad. They entered the tournament in the Round of 32 where they eliminated Cultural Leonesa (5-1 agg.) and later dispatched Levante (4-2) in the Round of 16. They got past Sevilla by an expressive 6-3 aggregate score in the quarterfinals, and defeated Real Madrid (4-1 agg.) on the semifinals. They’ve had a very complicated path to the Finals, but they’ve managed to sort out every single obstacle in their way. Can they go all the way and lift the trophy for a fifth straight year?
Team News
Marc-André ter Stegen has been ruled out for the Cup final. The same goes for Rafinha, who’s been out for the past couple of months, and Luis Suarez who’s in danger of losing the 2019 Copa America through injury.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Arthur and Thomas Vermaelen are also dealing with injuries.
Valencia
Meanwhile, Valencia should enter this game with a lot of confidence given how their season happened. Los Che got off to a slow start in La Liga, but they managed to turn things in the second half of the campaign and climbed all the way to fourth place, which means they’ll compete in the UEFA Champions League in 2019/20. It’s been quite a turnaround for Marcelino’s men, and they will try to end the campaign on a strong note by winning a title they haven’t accomplished since the 2007-08 season. Can they pull the upset and lift the title against Los Blaugranas? So far, they have defeated Ebro (3-1 agg.), Sporting Gijon (4-2 agg.), Getafe (3-2 agg.) and Real Betis (3-2 agg.). Their path to the finals has been easier than Barcelona’s one, but they have not looked nearly as convincing as Los Blaugranas. Can they shake off those woes and secure the title in impressive fashion against Ernesto Valverde’s men?
Team News
Valencia should be close to full strength entering this match.
The lone two absentees will be Ezequiel Garay and Denis Cheryshev, both due to injury.
Key Factors to Consider
- Barcelona are undefeated in their last eight H2H matches against Valencia in all competitions (W5, D3).
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona) needs just two goals here to move into the top five of all-time scorers in this competition.
- Each of the last five Copa Del Rey matches between both sides have followed a pattern: at least one side has not scored before the HT break.
- Barcelona have not conceded a single goal in each of their last four wins over Valencia in the Copa del Rey.
- The last three meetings between both sides have ended with both teams scoring. Two of those have had over 2.5 goals.
Conclusion
This should be a very open game. Both sides will be vying for the title, and Barcelona will be considerably depleted so that might give Valencia a chance.
Expect over 2.5 goals scored in this match.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals scored – yes
Best Odds: 3/5
Bookmaker: 888sport
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