Gonzalo Higuain is backing Real Madrid to end a troubled season on a high by winning Friday’s mouth-watering Copa del Rey final clash with bitter rivals Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos surrendered their La Liga crown to Barcelona and were bundled out in the Champions League semi-finals by Borussia Dortmund, leaving only the domestic cup as potential silverware.
But far from being underwhelmed by the prospect of lifting the least prestigious of those trophies, Higuain is relishing the Bernabeu showdown and reckons Jose Mourinho’s men will emerge victorious.
“It’s going to be a thrilling battle between two eternal rivals,” said the Argentine striker in an exclusive interview with bwin.
“Of course I’m betting on us winning. I hope that’s the case and that we are all happy.”
The question of Mourinho’s future aside, much of the build-up has focused on the battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao, who have scored 87 goals between them this term in all competitions.
Higuain admitted that both players could play a crucial part in the outcome, but also emphasised that Real must show unity to ensure they prevail in the capital clash.
“Yes, [Ronaldo and Falcao] are going to be important, but the key is that the team is at its best and that’s what we are looking for,” he said.
“If that’s the case then we have a great chance of winning the cup.”
With home advantage to call upon – even if the fans will be split 50-50 – Real are unsurprisingly made 53/100 favourites to win inside 90 minutes and 1/4 to lift the trophy by any means required.
And for all Falcao’s undoubted qualities, if Atletico are to spring a surprise, their solid defence, which has conceded just 30 goals in La Liga, is sure to be the foundation.
Higuain will, of course, be in direct opposition to Diego Simeone’s miserly rearguard at the Bernabeu, but the 25-year-old suggested that they are far from impregnable.
“If they have [conceded] the lowest number of goals in the league, it’s because they are doing well,” he said.
“But our idea is to look for their weak points, which they do have, and I hope that’s reflected on Friday and we win.”
Atletico can be backed at 17/4 to win in normal time and 51/20 to lift the trophy by any means necessary, while we will refund selected losing single bets if both teams score in the first half.
See this offer, and all our other Copa del Rey final markets, by clicking here.