Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad predictions and betting tips – Copa del Rey final in Seville

Atletico Madrid exited the La Liga title race a long time ago, but they are still in contention for two trophies this season. After reaching the last four of the Champions League in midweek, they are now targeting Copa del Rey glory.

Real Sociedad will have something to say about that. Will the Basque outfit triumph in this weekend’s final, or will Diego Simeone get his hands on another piece of silverware?

• Atletico Madrid to win – 6/7 at 247Bet
• Over 2.5 goals – 20/23 with BoyleSports
• Ademola Lookman to score or assist – evens with SBK

Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad odds

Find the latest Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad predictions

Atletico Madrid were involved in one of the games of the season on Tuesday night.

A 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final was Atletico’s first home defeat in the knockout phase of the competition since 1997. Yet it was the hosts who were celebrating when the final whistle sounded.

Having won the first leg 2-0 at the Camp Nou last week, a 2-1 loss in the return fixture was enough to send the Colchoneros into the semis.

It was not plain sailing for Atletico. Barcelona played with intent from the first whistle, and it took only four minutes for Lamine Yamal to halve the aggregate deficit. 

Barcelona scored again 20 minutes later, as Ferran Torres finished off a sharp move to level things up over the two legs. 

The momentum was very much with Hansi Flick’s men, but an incisive piece of play from Atletico led to Ademola Lookman finding the net shortly after the half-hour mark.

There was plenty of drama in the remaining 60 minutes plus, but there were no more goals and that meant Atletico advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17.

“It’s been 14 years, and honestly, seeing the team still competing really moves me,” Simeone said afterwards. “The players have changed, we’ve had to start over countless times, and here we are again among the top four in Europe.”

It was not the first time Atletico had beaten Barcelona in knockout football this term. Those two teams also met in the last four of the Copa del Rey, with Atletico triumphing 4-3 on aggregate.

Given Real Madrid had been eliminated by second-tier side Albacete earlier in the tournament, this year’s Copa del Rey final does not contain either of Spain’s two biggest clubs.

That has happened more often in recent years than you might think. Barcelona beat Madrid 3-2 in the showpiece last term, but in four of the last seven seasons, the Clasico pair have been absent from the final.

Real Sociedad are Atletico’s opponents on Saturday. They beat arch-rivals Athletic Bilbao 1-0 home and away in the semis, having previously knocked out Alaves and Osasuna among others.

La Real won this tournament in 2020, which makes them more recent champions than Atletico, who last tasted success in the Copa del Rey in 2013, early in Simeone’s tenure.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad betting tips

Will Atletico Madrid or Real Sociedad lift the Copa del Rey trophy this weekend?

Atletico to triumph

Real Sociedad are the underdogs on Saturday but they should not be underestimated.

Seventh in La Liga, they are the sort of side that can beat anyone in Spain on their day. Whereas Atletico Madrid were involved in a taxing encounter against Barcelona, Real Sociedad have had a full week to prepare for the final.

Despite that, we expect Atletico to come out on top. Simeone’s side have shown their ability to raise their game on the big occasion this term, namely in those two knockout ties against Barcelona.

Atletico also have sufficient strength in depth to freshen things up from Tuesday, so fatigue is unlikely to be an issue.

Tip Atletico Madrid to win at 6/7 at 247Bet

Three goals at least

Atletico Madrid are not the team they once were. 

Tuesday’s game against Barcelona was just the latest proof that this side is much more attacking than previous iterations in the Simeone era. The manager himself acknowledged that in midweek.

“We’ve been evolving for years,” Simeone said. “We’re clear about what we want. We attack better than we defend! So we have to attack. There’s no other way.”

Real Sociedad’s matches tend to be entertaining as well. Their La Liga games this season are averaging 3.13 goals, second only to Barcelona.

Go for over 2.5 goals at 20/23 with BoyleSports

Lookman to make impact

Ademola Lookman has proved to be an excellent addition to the Atletico Madrid squad.

Brought in from Atalanta in the winter window, Lookman has already established himself as a regular starter under Simeone. 

The Nigeria international hit the ground running in the Spanish capital, scoring four goals in his first six appearances.

He has been in good form recently too, and we anticipate him having a direct hand in at least one goal in the Copa del Rey final.

Choose Ademola Lookman to score or assist at evens with SBK

Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad predicted lineups

• Atletico Madrid expected lineup: Musso; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann.
• Real Sociedad expected lineup: Marrero; Aramburu, Martin, Elustondo, Gomez; Soler, Turrientes; Sucic, Mendez, Barrenetxea; Oyarzabal.

Where to watch Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad

• Location: Estadio de la Cartuja, Seville, Spain.
• Date and time: Saturday 18th April, 8pm.
• How to watch: ITV4 and ITVX, Premier Player.

More Spanish football predictions

We have plenty more Spanish football predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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