Athletic Club vs Real Madrid live on February 3, 2022: Basque club seeking Copa del Rey revenge over Los Blancos

Topics: TV Schedules, Real Madrid, Athletic Club, Copa del Rey

The pair locked horns earlier this year in the Spanish Super Cup final, with Los Blancos triumphing 2-0. Does a similar result await Marcelino's men?

Preview

Spanish giants Real Madrid return to action this midweek, with the continental powerhouse resuming their Copa del Rey campaign. This Thursday showdown will see the league leaders take on an interesting opponent, with the club set to lock horns with Athletic Club in a highly-anticipated quarterfinal battle.

The Basque club will boast the home advantage for the second round in a row, having played hosts to Barcelona in the round of 16 late last month. That result was arguably their standout victory of the year, with Marcelino's men twice throwing away a one-goal lead to triumph 3-2 in the end.

Iker Muniain was the star of that match, scoring on both sides of Inigo Martinez's 86th goal. The winner came in extra time, with the aforementioned Spaniard breaking the Blaugrana's heart in the first half of added time. However, things will only get tougher from here on for Los Leones as they seek revenge over Los Blancos.

This will be the fourth encounter between these two sides since the start of December and in all three encounters, Athletic Club were beaten. Inaki Williams and Co. met with 1-0 defeats both home and away in La Liga only to then lose 2-0 when the pair faced off in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup final.

While Real Madrid have undoubtedly been the best team in Spain, one thing could work against them and that is their form in 2022. Ancelotti's men have played seven times so far this calendar year and have won all but two of those fixtures, which makes for a great reading. Additionally, they have already gotten their hands on silverware – the Spanish Super Cup – and will look to make strides in their La Liga and Copa del Rey campaigns.

Nonetheless, Athletic Club will take notice of Los Blancos' two slip-ups in 2022, the first being their first match of the year. That was a clash with Getafe, with Benzema and Co. losing 1-0. Their other disappointment came in their most recent fixture, drawing 2-2 with Elche late last month.

That stalemate saw talisman forward Karim limp off, which left many fans worried, meaning the Frenchman will likely sit this one out. Regardless, Ancelotti has a stellar squad to choose from and will thus be hoping to make it five consecutive victories over the Basque outfit.

Team news

Athletic Club: The international break has had zero effect on the Basque club, meaning Unai Vencedor, who has been struggling with a hamstring issue, is the only certain absentee. There are other concerns, with Iker Muniain just recovering from COVID-19, which could pave way for Nico Williams inclusion in the lineup.

Real Madrid: Marcelo is suspended while Ferland Mendy is struggling with an injury, leaving Ancelotti light on left-backs. Casemiro and Vinicius Jr. were called up for international duty and will thus not be at 100 percent for this tie. Marco Asensio has returned to fitness, but the same cannot be said about Benzema.

Key stats

Real Madrid have crashed out of the Copa del Rey in the quarterfinal stage three times since 2016.
Los Blancos have won their last four trips to Athletic Club.
However, the Basque club boast a great head-to-head record against Los Merengues in this tournament, winning eight encounters with the Madrid giants – the same number of times Real Madrid have won – while drawing twice.