Our betting expert expects the underdogs to hold firm until the break, but Barcelona’s quality to prove decisive.
Best bets for Albacete vs Barcelona
- Both teams to score at odds of 1.72 on Stake
- First half - Albacete or Draw at odds of 2.40 on Stake
- Half with most goals - Second half at odds of 1.95 on Stake
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction - Albacete 2-3 Barcelona
- Goalscorers prediction - Albacete: Jefte Betancor, Agus Medina - Barcelona: Marcus Rashford, Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski
Albacete are aiming to cause a second huge upset in this season’s Copa del Rey. They defeated Real Madrid 3-2 at home in the last round, and are the only remaining second-tier club. That result has sparked an upturn in their league fortunes too. Alberto Gonzalez’s side have risen to mid-table after winning their last three league matches to nil.
Barcelona won 2-0 away to second-tier leaders Racing Santander in the round of 16. Moreover, they’ve won four of their five matches in all competitions since then. The exception was a 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad in La Liga, but they secured a top-eight Champions League finish last week.
Probable lineups for Albacete vs Barcelona
Albacete expected lineup: Lizoain, Aguado, Moreno, Vallejo, Neva, Bernabeu, Melendez, Capi, Pacheco, Medina, Betancor
Barcelona expected lineup: J. Garcia, Martin, E. Garcia, Araujo, Cancelo, De Jong, Bernal, Rashford, Olmo, Yamal, Lewandowski
Goals to fly in at the Carlos Belmonte
Albacete have been one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the Segunda Division this season. Their league matches average 2.67 goals per game in total. Only three clubs in the Spanish second tier have a higher average than that, while you can have a higher value on your wagers with our Stake Promo Code.
They also showed attacking quality against Real Madrid. While they were aided by the visitors’ resting players, the likes of Dean Huijsen, Vinicius Junior, and Fede Valverde still started. Albacete had 12 attempts across the 90 minutes and made the most of their limited possession.
Opposing players continue to exploit Barcelona’s high line. Copenhagen’s Viktor Dadason and Elche’s Alvaro Rodriguez have scored breakaway goals against the Catalans over the past week. That has to offer encouragement to the underdogs in this quarter-final.
The visitors have let in 1.5 goals per 90 minutes away in La Liga this term. That adds to the sense that backing both teams to score may be a smart bet here.
- Albacete vs Barcelona Bet 1: Both teams to score at odds of 1.72 on Stake
Albacete to compete until the break
Barcelona put in one of their better first-half displays at the weekend against Elche. However, they have frequently struggled to get off to a strong start this season.
Prior to Saturday, Hansi Flick’s side had been ahead at the interval in none of their last six matches. In La Liga, their first-half goal difference is just +10, compared to +27 after the interval.
That trend has been repeated in the Copa del Rey. Barca didn’t find a breakthrough until the 76th minute against minnows Guadalajara in their opening tie. They were also level until the 66th minute in the last round against Racing.
Given that, backing the hosts in the first-half double chance market seems good with an implied probability of 42%.
- Albacete vs Barcelona Bet 2: First half - Albacete or Draw at odds of 2.40 on Stake
Action-packed second half in store
There is certainly a chance that Albacete could tire in this game, and ultimately leave too much space. They only had 22% of the ball against Real Madrid. That figure isn’t likely to be any higher against Barcelona, so the hosts will need to work very hard.
Substitutes will be crucial for both teams. Jefte Betancor came off the bench to score 82nd and 94th-minute goals against Los Blancos.
Like Barcelona, Albacete have also often scored late this season. In fact, 77% of their goals in the Segunda Division have come in the second half. Meanwhile, 67% of all goals scored in their league encounters came in the second half.
Those trends suggest the first half may be the quieter part of this contest. Backing the second half to serve up more goals seems to offer value, which you can enhance further with our Stake App.
- Albacete vs Barcelona Bet 3: Half with most goals - Second half at odds of 1.95 on Stake