The Copa del Rey final feels like it should be a walkover. Barcelona was clearly the second best team in Spain this year behind Real Madrid, but Los Blancos are done in Spain's cup competition. Alaves is one of the more improbable finalists we've seen in this tournament in a long time, but it's going to have its shot against the big boys from Barca at Vicente Calderon this weekend.
Don't miss the Copa del Rey action from Estadio Vicente Calderon at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN3.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alaves +1150
Barcelona -715
Draw +600
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
It's really hard to see how Alaves is going to end up hoisting the trophy in the Copa del Rey final. This price of 10 to 1 showcases just that. Barcelona can be had at a price of -2200 to get the job done, and it's favored by a -715 margin on the moneyline to claim victory inside of 90 minutes. Alaves is getting a full two goals on the Asian Handicap, and the margin isn't all that far from being set at 2.5.
How They Got Here
The fact of the matter is that Alaves really hasn't run into all that much in the way of resistance of teams from the top of the top flight in Spain.
Second division Gimnastic de Tarragona was no match in the Round of 32, as El Glorioso picked up a 6-0 victory over the two legs. Deportivo La Coruna is at least a La Liga squad, but it finished 16th this year. Alaves advanced from that two-legged tie via away goals. Up next was Alcorcon, the seventh best team in Segunda this year, and Alaves trashed it 2-0. Then came Celta Vigo. Sure, Celta Vigo made the Europa League semifinals this year, but it only finished 13th on the table in La Liga. A late goal in the second leg by Edgar Mendez was all that separated the two teams in the end.
Barcelona meanwhile, has had a lot more in the way of challenges. Hercules actually picked up a 1-1 draw against the behemoths in the opening leg of its home-and-home series, but Barca fired back with a 7-0 win at the Nou Camp to advance out of the Round of 32. Athletic Bilbao, who will be rooting for Barcelona in this one to get Spain's last Europa League spot next season, took a 2-1 lead in the first leg over Barcelona, only to get thumped 3-1 in the second leg. Real Sociedad, who already has a Europa League spot in 2017-18, was a 6-2 loser on aggregate to the Catalan side, while the 90 minutes between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid ended 3-2.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Alaves team isn't poor defensively, and that's going to be its calling card in this fixture. The club allowed just 43 goals this season. On the flip side, it scored just 41 goals, one fewer than relegated Sporting Gijon and one more than also-relegated Osasuna.
The two meetings this season were vastly different. In February, Barcelona ripped off a 6-0 victory, but back in the beginning of the season, Alaves actually went to Camp Nou and won 2-1.
Still, this is a very difficult task in the end. We'd take the two goals if forced to choose, knowing that this could end up being a somewhat frustrating last match of the season for Barcelona, but we wouldn't do so with much in the way of confidence. If Barca is at their best, they're going to hang five or six on Alaves. But there's always a shot for good little one in the cup, and Alaves could hang for a good long while thanks to its stout defending.
Copa del Rey Odds: Barcelona 2, Alaves 0
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