Tenerife - Ath Bilbao Prediction, Picks and Tips
In the eighth finals of the Copa del Rey, Athletic Bilbao board the plane to the Canary Islands, to compete there against second-class Tenerife. The home club is out for a new cup stunt and hopes to once again be able to tie a LaLiga club to the win.
Tenerife is a club that will certainly sound familiar to the old people among us. In the 1996-1997 season, the blues and whites reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and Roy Makaay also scored once on the assembly line. In recent years, however, the club has come from the island of the same name. Last season, Tenerife finished in an anonymous sixteenth place in the Segunda Division, and this year, too, there is again a shortage for promotion with a provisional eighteenth place. The men of trainer Ruben Baraja even have to go all out to keep the relegation ghost out. The Copa del Rey is therefore the only way for Tenerife to add a layer of shine to the season. Tete managed to surprise in the previous round of the Spanish cup tournament by beating Real Valladolid with 2-1, and hopes to be able to scalper a first-class player again on Tuesday evening with Athletic Bilbao. "We regard the upcoming cup competition as a prize," said Baraja. "We mainly want to enjoy, but as always we go full for the victory." In the previous cup round, the coach brought in a mix of basic players and reserves, so that will probably be the case again on Tuesday-evening.
With only one defeat in its last fourteen games in all competitions, Athletic Bilbao is working on a strong series, but the Basques are by no means satisfied with their form in LaLiga. Los Leones stopped visiting Espanyol last weekend at 1-1, which was the fifth consecutive draw in the league. Also in the previous round of the Copa del Rey, visiting second division Elche, there was a 1-1 final score on the scoreboard after ninety minutes of regular playing time and an extension of thirty minutes, but coach Gaizka Garitano's team came after penalties. with the fright free. Athletic Bilbao is therefore in a sporting dip, although it is all over the Spanish Basque Country and far beyond now about Inaki Williams. The Spanish attacker with Ghanaian and Liberian roots was treated racist by part of the Espanyol supporters. Various major Spanish athletes and even the Prime Minister made themselves heard on social media to express their horror, but real action has not yet been taken so far. In contrast to Espanyol, Tenerife is, as far as I know, not known as a club with an extreme right-wing following, but the eyes on Tuesday evening will logically be focused primarily on Williams. The expectation is that Garitano will bring a mix of basic players and reserves within the lines, as he did in the previous round against Elche.
Our recommendation tip for Tenerife - Ath Bilbao: Ath Bilbao to win @ 1.75