Cultural Leonesa (home)
- Cultural Leonesa sit mid-table in Spain’s Segunda División with 23 - 24 points from around 20 matches, as they aim to consolidate at that level rather than make a promotion challenge.
- Cultural Leonesa are led by Basque football veteran José Ángel ‘Cuco’ Ziganda, a former Athletic player and manager.
- Ziganda has instilled a compact, disciplined style on his Leonesa side, who are good on set-pieces and dangerous on the counter-attack when they deploy their best creative players, Thiago Ojeda and Selu Diallo, in a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 system.
- Cultural have won home games against Tropezón, FC Andorra and Levante to get this far in the Copa del Rey 2025-2026, indicating an ability to punch above their weight in knockout games.
Athletic Bilbao (away)
- Athletic Bilbao are 8th in LaLiga on 24 points from 19 matches, a mid-table position, but one that keeps them in the hunt for European places.
- Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde has the tactical know-how to keep his side in the mix in multiple competitions, and their Super Cup 0-5 defeat to Barcelona was a shock to the system that has likely galvanised them for the season ahead.
Head-to-Head
Athletic have won all three previous Copa del Rey knockout ties against Leonesa, beating them 2 - 1 in the last official meeting in 2004/05.
Key Players
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Leonesa:
- Manu Justo, who has four to six goals in all competitions this season, is Leonesa’s main striker, but he gets plenty of minutes and provides a consistent threat up front.
- Edgar Badía is a proven performer at this level.
- Rodri Suárez is an experienced organiser of the back four and set pieces.
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Athletic:
- Gorka Guruzeta is in fine form for Athletic, having scored and assisted in recent matches, while the presence of Iñaki Williams gives Valverde’s side the ability to transition from defense to attack quickly.
Betting Insights
- Leonesa are 4.58 to beat their former manager and Basque giants Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, with Athletic 1.83 odds-on favorites to win the matchup.
- The draw is available at 3.74.
- Under 2.5 goals looks an excellent choice at 1.84.
Prediction
Athletic are likely to edge it, but with a professional performance from Leonesa, who will surely have an extra bounce in their step with Ziganda facing his former club, the correct score markets look to favour 1-0 and 2-0 in the visitors favour.
