Athletic Club - Deportivo Alavés

Athletic Club want the Copa and so does Asier Villalibre. The Gernika native's third consecutive double in the competition has put the Lions into the quarter-finals, with the draw set to take place on Friday at 13:00 CET.

Ernesto Valverde's side remain unbeatable at home and, although they needed two good saves from Julen Agirrezabala with the scores at 1-0, they were able to see off Deportivo Alavés comfortably.

The 2-0 scoreline was misleading. Athletic could have killed the match off before half-time in truth. The 45,000 spectators crammed into San Mames for the midweek match were treated to an intense, entertaining affair.

Julen was first called upon in the fourth minute, stopping a Ianis Hagi shot after a great change of play by Antonio Blanco. Athletic began to dictate the game, with Beñat Prados commanding the middle and Oihan Sancet making smart runs forward.

Villalibre eventually put the Zurigorri ahead. The Buffalo showed his strength in the box before smashing a powerful effort past Antonio Sivera.

Athletic had three clear-cut occasions before the interval. Sancet played through Alex Berenguer, but Sivera caught the winger's shot between his legs. Oihan and Iker Muniain had further chances to extend Athletic's lead before the break.

Alavés' best chances came early in the second half. First Julen stopped point-blank volley by Samu Omorodion - the only time he got past Athletic's centre-backs.

Then he denied Giuliano Simeone with an acrobatic save. Six minutes later, Villalibre, an Alaves idol, put the game to bed. Berenguer linked up with Oscar De Marcos and the right-back found the Buffalo at the far post.

From then on, it was plain sailing as both teams turned their thoughts to this weekend's league fixtures. Athletic travel to Mestalla, where they want to extend their incredible run of six official victories in a row.