Soccer February 5, 2026

Copa del Rey quarter-final night in Seville, and this one has all the ingredients of a classic. Real Betis welcome Atletico Madrid to the Estadio La Cartuja riding a five-game home winning streak across all competitions, and Manuel Pellegrini's side are playing with genuine belief after their 2-1 victory over Valencia at this very ground in La Liga. Betis sit sixth in La Liga with a respectable 6-7-3 record in the league, having scored 25 goals this season. Their home form has been their foundation, with four wins, one draw, and three losses in Seville, and they'll need every ounce of that home energy against one of the tightest defensive units in Spanish football.

Atletico Madrid, though, are a different proposition in knockout football. Diego Simeone's squad has reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals in each of the last two seasons, and their pedigree in single-elimination scenarios is well documented. The visitors sit fourth in La Liga with 20 wins from 34 matches across all competitions this season, and they boast perhaps the most balanced attack in Spain. Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann have each contributed 12 goals across all competitions, while Alexander Soerloth has chipped in with seven of his own. That three-pronged threat gives Simeone the kind of rotation and tactical flexibility that can overwhelm even well-organized defenses in the Copa del Rey.

Here's the stat that should concern every Betis supporter in attendance: Atletico have lost just once in their last 13 encounters with Betis, winning 10 and drawing two in that stretch. The most recent two meetings both ended in Atletico victories, including a comfortable 2-0 win at the Estadio de La Cartuja and a 4-1 demolition at the Metropolitano. That kind of psychological dominance is hard to shake in a one-off cup tie. Alex Baena, who arrived from Villarreal in the summer along with David Hancko and Johnny Cardoso, has added even more quality to Simeone's midfield options this season.

The counterargument for Betis centers on Atletico's recent wobble. Simeone's men are winless in their last two matches, a 1-2 home defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League followed by a frustrating 0-0 draw at 19th-placed Levante in La Liga. In fact, they've won just one of their last four across all competitions. That kind of inconsistency creates vulnerability, especially against a Betis side playing with house money in this tournament. The Copa del Rey has always been the great equalizer in Spanish football, and Pellegrini knows his team has nothing to lose. Expect a cagey, tactical affair that could hinge on a single moment of brilliance from either side.

Two of Serie A's heavyweight clubs collide in Bergamo for a Coppa Italia quarter-final that promises to be as tense as any match on the European calendar this week. Atalanta and Juventus have produced some of the most memorable Italian cup ties in recent memory, and their head-to-head record tells you everything about how evenly matched these sides are: six draws in their last ten meetings, with just two wins apiece. Don't expect fireworks, but do expect a chess match between two of the sharpest tactical minds in Italian football.

Atalanta's season has been a rollercoaster. They sit seventh in Serie A with 32 points from 21 matches (8W-8D-5L), having scored 26 and conceded 20 in the league. Their recent Coppa Italia form has been strong, highlighted by a dominant 4-0 destruction of Genoa in the previous round that showed what this squad can do when everything clicks. Eight wins in their last 12 matches across all competitions is an encouraging trend, but their most recent outing, a goalless draw at Como where they managed minimal shots on target, raises questions about their attacking consistency. At home, the New Balance Arena in Bergamo can be a fortress, and Atalanta's passionate supporters will create the kind of atmosphere that can rattle even the most experienced visitors.

Juventus arrive in Bergamo brimming with confidence after an emphatic 4-1 dismantling of Parma in Serie A. Gleison Bremer was the star of the show with a brace, continuing his remarkable season. Since the 2019-20 campaign, Bremer has scored more headers (15) than any other defender in Europe's top five leagues, surpassing both Virgil van Dijk and Gabriel Magalhaes. Jonathan David and Weston McKennie also found the net against Parma, and that kind of attacking depth from midfield and defense takes enormous pressure off the forwards. The Bianconeri have won four of their last five away Serie A matches, a dramatic improvement over their form earlier in the season when they managed just five wins in 18 road fixtures.

The Under 2.5 goals market at 1.74 odds tells the tactical story here. Four of Atalanta's last five matches have stayed under that threshold, and six of Juventus's last ten away games have followed suit. When these two meet, goals dry up. Their most recent Serie A clash ended 1-1, and six draws in ten meetings speaks to the mutual respect and defensive awareness both teams bring to this fixture. With a Coppa Italia semi-final berth at stake, expect cautious, structured football from both sides, with the decisive moment likely coming from a set piece or a moment of individual brilliance from the likes of Bremer, Kenan Yildiz, or whoever can find the smallest crack in the opposing backline.