The Copa del Rey quarterfinals are coming to a close, and Barcelona hold a marked edge over Athletic Bilbao as they head into the second leg at the Camp Nou. After beating Athletic 2-1 in the first leg, Barcelona don’t just have the lead at the halfway mark — they have two vital away goals, which means Athletic will have to be at their absolute best to win this match.
Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao 2016 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch Copa del Rey online
Barcelona hold a massive advantage coming into the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie with Athletic Bilbao.
Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
Barcelona’s advantage means that Athletic must score twice not just to take the lead, but also to wipe out their away goals tiebreaker. Of course Athletic couldn’t score twice even when they had home field advantage against Barcelona — doing so at the Camp Nou seems like an almost impossible task to achieve.
Especially with Barca almost certainly setting themselves up to hold possession and keep Athletic from having the ability to create chances to score, coming away with an upset seems like an almost impossible task for Los Leones. Especially comparing recent form — Barcelona have won six straight, where Athletic have three losses in that same span — it seems a near-certainty that the Blaugranes come away with a semifinal berth from this match. But It’s not an absolute certainty, and we all love seeing even a remote chance of an incredible upset.
Key player — Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Iniesta might be getting older and has certainly lost a step, but the veteran midfielder still has a bushel of tricks up his sleeve. With Barcelona’s front line ailing a bit and in need of rest, his creative ability will be vital to this match, tasked with driving his team forward and making sure to help hold possession as much as possible to blunt Athletic’s scoring chances. If anyone will single-handedly turn the tide of battle for Barcelona in this game, it’s Iniesta.
Key matchup — Adriano (Barcelona) vs. Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Williams has been one of the hottest hands in La Liga of late, with his deadly ability to cut in from the right side carving open many a defense this season. With Jordi Alba out of Barcelona's defense with injury, he'll be going toe-to-toe with Adriano, whose form has been a bit mercurial at times this year. If he's on his game, he should be able to keep Williams in check and take away Athletic's biggest weapon. If he's at all shaky, though, Barcelona are going to have a tough time keeping the lethal forward at bay.
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Neymar, Jordi Alba, Rafinha
Athletic Bilbao injuries and suspensions
Out: Ibai Gomez, Raul Garcia, Ander Iturraspe
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. local
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TV: beIN Sports en Español (U.S. & Canada - Spanish), Canal+ Partidazo, Abono Futbol 1 (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports Connect, Fubo TV (U.S.)
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