Two weeks ago, something unexpected happened. Atletico Madrid lost at home for the first time since January 2023. That day, Athletic Club celebrated a 1-0 win at the Metropolitano and earned an advantage ahead of the second leg that will be played tonight in Bilbao. If Atletico Madrid wish to move to the final and face Real Mallorca on 6 April, they must conquer the fortress of San Mames, where the home team hasn’t tasted defeat since August 2023.For this, they have dug into their closet for the gala outfit, the half-white and half-blue shirt that is the foundation of both clubs, the Madrid one born from the Basque one over 120 years ago, which was precisely debuted in the Atletico-Athletic match last season at the Metropolitano to kick off the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the Lions. Because in that match, both teams wore what they were and will be tonight. Atletico gave up the red-and-white to the father and played away in the blue-and-white even though they were at home. The Cholo’s team won. 1-0. A result that, if repeated today, will lead the semifinal to extra time.The last time Mallorca were in a Copa del Rey final (2002-03) Samuel Eto’o was leading their line 🇪🇸🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/ScHvhpqXPZ— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 27, 2024 What Atleti will lack will be the scorer from that day and the scorer many times against Athletic. Antoine Griezmann, the boy raised in Zubieta, La Real, Athletic’s great rival, who has scored 14 goals in 32 matches, won’t make it. He hasn’t recovered from the sprain he suffered a week ago and won’t play. A significant absence for everything he is and represents for Atletico. But from that injury with a relapse a long month and a half due to hastening his return in the season he returned to Atletico, Diego Simeone learned and won’t rush the French international back. Therefore, Angel Correa will be Alvaro Morata’s partner. Morata has scored 19 goals, but has gone seven games without scoring.Athletic lost their league debut at San Mames, on the distant 12 August, 2023, against Madrid. A bad omen that made more than one person worried. But it was just a blot in a brilliant campaign. Since then, the Cathedral has been a fortress for Athletic, as they have not lost again. Ernesto Valverde-managed team drew with Getafe in September and against Valencia in October. And then, everything went smoothly.##NAJAVA_MECA_7910239##This year they have achieved 12 victories, two of them in the Copa, and those two draws. They are, along with Girona and behind Atletico and Real Madrid, the third-best home team in La Liga, with 32 points in 13 matches. The ten victories have come against Betis (4-2), Cadiz (3-0), Almeria (3-0), Celta (4-3), Rayo (4-0), Atletico (2-0), Las Palmas (1-0), Real Sociedad (2-1), Mallorca (4-0), and Girona (3-2). The last seven have been consecutive and are added to two in the Copa, against Alaves in the round of 16 and Barcelona in the quarterfinals. Additionally, they are the top scorers at home, with 34 goals in the regular tournament.Another thing is their performance away from home. Athletic has only one victory in their last seven away league matches from San Mames. In the second half, they took two out of twelve possible points, scoring only one goal in four games against Betis, which was not enough as they lost 3-1. The enormous Copa triumph at the Metropolitano, ending a 28-match unbeaten streak typical of the Colchonero stronghold, covers up that inefficiency away from home.
