Sestao River vs Athletic Bilbao predictions, head-to-head and match preview for this Saturday’s game in the Copa del Rey. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups as Athletic aim to avoid an upset away to their very near neighbours.
Sestao River vs Athletic Bilbao Preview
This is one of the most romantic ties from the Copa del Rey 2nd Round and it will be a real occasion for 4th tier Sestao River. Their Las Llanas ground is just 10 km from San Mames and an easy 25 minute ride via the Bilbao metro so this is a real local derby in Bizkaia and one that fans of tiny Sestao River may have thought they’d never live to see, at least not in a competitive setting.
It’s all part of the magic of this revamped Copa del Rey but it’s only possible after Sestao River pulled off an upset in the 1st Round to defeat Segunda Division Lugo on penalties. Sestao River rose from the ashes of Sestao Sport Club which dissolved in 1996 but this will unquestionably be the biggest game the club has played since the reformation. Overall Sestao are having a good season and currently sit 2nd in their group of the Tercera Division as they bid to return to the Segunda B for the first time since 2017.
Clearly this is a massive banana skin tie for Athletic Club but they coped pretty well in the last round, winning 3-0 away to Intercity. Gaizka Garitano named a relatively strong eleven for that tie, at least in comparison to some of his top flight peers although he did give youngsters such as winger Gaizka Larrazabal a go.
This will actually be Athletic’s fourth consecutive away game with very creditable draws earned at Real Madrid and Sevilla in La Liga since the last round. Athletic are bidding to win the Copa del Rey for the first time in 36 years having lost in the 2009, 2012 and 2015 Finals.
Read more – The newlook Copa del Rey heads to El Alamo
Sestao River vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions
Score Prediction: 2-0 Athletic Club
If there’s a top flight team who you’d back to cope with the intensity and perhaps physical challenge of playing lower league opponents, it’s perhaps Athletic. They invariably take this competition very seriously and have a proud history in it and they should be able to cope with anything Sestao throw out them. At the other end, Athletic may lack the kind of creative tools to run riot here but they should have enough to grab a couple of goals and book their place in the next round.
Sestao River vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips (18+)
You can view our betting tips for this match and others this weekend in the Copa del Rey by following our premium ‘all competitions’ portfolio on Tipstrr.
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Sestao River vs Athletic Bilbao H2H
- The sides last met in a 2016 friendly which Athletic won 4-0.
- There have been no previous competitive meetings.
Predicted Line Ups
Sestao River Team:
Landeta – Gomez, Zumalakarregui, Beloki, Alvarez – Vega, Eguino, Arce, Oliveira – Martinez, Ruiz (4-4-2)
Athletic Team:
Herrerín – Lekue, Unai Núñez, Iñigo Martínez, Balenziaga – Vesga, Beñat – Larrazabal, Raúl García, Ibai Gómez – Kodro (4-2-3-1)
We also have match previews for every game in La Liga this season.
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Featured Image: De Rampelas – Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 4.0
