Showpiece Saturday previews: Copa del Rey, DFB Pokal finals

By on May 30, 2015

Sigh; Sepp Blatter just crushed the measly hopes of most football fans around the world (even the majority of those in Qatar were disappointed) by winning his fifth term in office as FIFA president. Perhaps FIFA’s best shot at reform from within in the form of Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein proved to be an effort in vain. Football fans around the world desperately need a reminder of the good side of football — but fear not! This weekend provides two major cup finals as Arsenal take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup final and Barcelona seek to continue the hopes of a treble in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. Here in our second installment, we preview the Copa del Rey and DFB Pokal matchups, to hopefully get your mind off Sepp Blatter and his cronies.

Copa del Rey final: Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona

Venue: Camp Nou

Time: Saturday, 8:30pm UTC

Odds: Athletic Bilbao, 17/1; Barcelona 2/7

Athletic Bilbao are still considered the classic cup team in Spain: only Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey on more occasions and only Real Madrid have been runners-up in the competition more times than the Basque club. But since 1984, they’ve been on a drought — almost literally, given they celebrate their trophy wins on a barge instead of bus. This is the third time Bilbao have been to the Copa del Rey final since 2009, and the third time they’ve drawn Barca in the final. In all likelihood, it will be their third loss, too.

But Athletic keep the barge prepared, just in case. They have slim hopes, given Barcelona have stormed to the La Liga title with the thirty-nine wins from their last forty-five matches this season. The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez have scored twenty-three goals in their past eight matches, compared to the fourteen Bilbao have bagged as a team in the same amount of time. Barca beat Bilbao 7-2 on aggregate in their two La Liga meetings this season, and by an even bigger margin over the course of their previous two finale meetings.

It’s not really a question of if Bilbao can turn on, but if Barca show up.  Luis Enrique’s side will be vying for a treble having won La Liga last weekend, yet will obviously value the Champions League final next weekend higher.  How much can they rest while still keeping their treble hopes alive?  As a result, they may well go after the game early to get it over with quick and tidy, or see if they can rest their stars and still nick a result.

DFB Pokal final: Borussia Dortmund v VfL Wolfsburg

Venue: Olympiastadion

Time: Saturday, 8:00pm UTC

Odds: Borussia Dortmund, 13/10; VfL Wolfsburg, 11/5

It’s Jurgen Klopp’s last match in charge of Borussia Dortmund; there’s not much more to say.  Dortmund would be out to repay him for everything he’s given the club — Bundesliga titles and even a run to the Champions League final a few years back — or at least salvage some respect given their wayward league form.  Dortmund picked up their form around February to escape the relegation zone and finish comfortably mid-table, as high as seventh, so the final will test whether they can bring their intensity level back up.  Their Champions League outings early in the season suggest they are most certainly capable of performing under pressure.

However, Wolfsburg take the form of the villains.  They took the place of Dortmund this season to put the pressure on Bayern Munich at the top of the table, even beating The Bavarians 4-1 in late January.  With a squad containing Andre Schurrle, Ivan Perisic, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bas Dost, only Bayern have scored more than Wolfsburg, who should take the game right to Dortmund given their inconsistent defensive record.  All in all, a high scoring game is in the offing.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.