Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal preview

January 5, 2016
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Villarreal vs AthleticOne of the most successful sides in the competition take on La Liga high-flyers Villarreal in the first leg of Copa del Rey Last 16 stage, with plenty of fireworks expected at San Mames.

Athletic Bilbao have battled bravely to remain as close as possible to Spain’s top sides over the years while staying true to the policy of only signing Basque players and they have done pretty well of late.

Led by Ernesto Valverde, los Leones once again reached the Copa del Rey final, only to lose to Barcelona, but they then got perfect revenge on the Catalans with an impressive 5-1 aggregate triumph in Spanish Super Cup.

Athletic have again managed to compete with success on three major fronts this season, but it is now that real challenges start, with the Villarreal clash certainly one of those.

Los Leones’ excellent three-match winning run where they didn’t concede a single goal came to an end at the weekend as they twice squandered a one-goal lead to share spoils with Las Palmas.

And it is clear that Athletic will have to show improvement if they want to beat La Liga’s in-form side, despite the fact they have been made 1.87 (20/23) favourites to win the first leg.

Aymeric Laporte and Benat return from suspension, but Eneko Boveda and Ibai Gomez look likely to miss out again.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Iago – De Marcos, Etxeita, Laporte, Balenziaga – San Jose, Benat – Williams, Garcia, Susaeta – Aduriz.

The return to old glory days when Villarreal fought for the Champions League trophy appears to be on the cards as the Yellow Submarine are enjoying the most successful season in recent years.

Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side have been in stunning form of late, winning five straight matches in all competitions and they are 4.60 (18/5) to claim the scalp of Athletic Bilbao as well.

Villarreal’s La Liga campaign has been especially impressive, with the team winning five league fixtures on the bounce to cement their place in the top 4.

And with the Yellow Submarine now boasting a five-point advantage over their rivals for a Champions League berth, the fans have plenty of reason for optimism.

Nevertheless, Villarreal’s impressive run of results will be put to the test at the San Mames, especially if Marcelino decides to rest some of his key men.

Adrian Lopez, Daniele Bonera and Jaume Costa are almost certain to miss out, but Trigueros and Leo Baptistao should play a part.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Barbosa – Mario, Musacchio, Ruiz, Rukavina – dos Santos, Trigueros, Bruno, Suarez – Soldado, Baptistao.

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