Football betting tips: Copa del Rey final
1pt Ferran Torres to score anytime at 2/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
BuildABet @ 8/1
- Barcelona to win
- Ferran Torres to score anytime
- Jude Bellingham to commit 2+ fouls
- Lamine Yamal to win 2+ fouls
All in 90 minutes
Despite forming yet another super team, another version of the Galacticos, Real Madrid could end the season with a whimper. They lost in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, have been knocked out of the Champions League and remain four points behind Barcelona in La Liga, so this competition has to be seen as a must-win.
They have already won the UEFA Super Cup way back in August, but that trophy alone isn't enough for Los Blancos, and Carlo Ancelotti is already halfway out of the door as a result.
It could be worst case scenario for Florentino Perez and his star-studded squad, with their Clasico rivals Barcaelona still on track for a quadruple. Hansi Flick's side have already won the Spanish Super Cup, lead the league and are in the semis of the Champions League, so a victory here really could set them up for a historic campaign.
They have dominated Madrid in their two meetings this season, winning 4-0 at the Bernabeu and 5-2 in the Super Cup final, with Madrid just unable to keep up with Barca's firepower. We should see another high-scoring contest here, with neither team solid enough defensively.
What are the best bets?
Goals should again be on the agenda, and the markets agree, with Over 2.5 goals at 1/2 shot. That has me thinking goalscorers and the best value in the match looks to be FERRAN TORRES TO SCORE ANYTIME at 2/1. He's 12/5 on Unibet for those that can get on there.
Ask yourself this; what price would Robert Lewandowski be to score anytime if he were fit? Kylian Mbappe is 7/5, but Lewy, playing for the team 6/5 to win the game, would be close to evens.
Now I'm not saying Torres is anywhere near as good as the Pole, but he should be around the 7/5 marker given he'll be leading the line for the better team in a game that is expected to see at least three goals.
2/1 looks large, and even larger when we factor in that Torres has been pretty prolific when given a chance this season.
He's played just 1509 minutes but has scored 17 times across all competitions, boasting a goal per 90 average of 1.01. In terms of xG, he's averaging an impressive 0.67 per 90 across all comps, and for context that is only slightly behind Mbappe (0.73) but ahead of every other player who will take the field on Saturday.
Raphinha (0.60) comes closest to Torres in that metric, with all of Vinicius (0.46), Jude Bellingham (0.42), Lamine Yamal (0.31) and Rodrygo (0.19) falling behind the former Manchester City man.
The fact that two of those sit ahead of him in the betting doesn't make much sense to me, so I'll happily chance Torres.
Team news
Barcelona suffered a big blow ahead of this final, and their Champions League semi-final, with Robert Lewandowski picking up an injury. He won't feature for a a few weeks, meaning Ferran Torres is set to be given the nod through the middle.
Left-back Alejandro Balde is also out, meaning Gerard Martin should start. Pau Cubarsi will come back into the heart of defence alongside Inigo Martinez, while further forward Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo are battling it out for the number 10 spot.
As for Madrid, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba are out after picking up injuries against Getafe, with the Frenchman out for the season, joining Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao as long-term absentees.
Ferland Mendy and Kylian Mbappe will be available for selection this weekend, though the former is unlikely to start, though the latter most certainly will. Fran Garcia should again start at left-back.
Predicted line-ups
Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, F Lopez, Raphinha; Torres
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Odds correct at 1550 BST (24/4/25)
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