Where to watch Copa del Rey final live in UK, Europe? Athletic Club vs Barcelona preview

The two most successful teams in the history of the Copa del Rey will meet in the final of the 2021 competition on Saturday, April 17 as Athletic Club take on Barcelona at La Cartuja Stadium. The game between the two sides is scheduled to kick off at 9:30 PM local time (8:30 PM BST) (Sunday, April 18 at 1:00 AM IST). Here's a look at the Athletic Club vs Barcelona team news, the Copa del Rey final channel and where to watch Copa del Rey final live in UK. 

Copa del Rey 2021 final: Athletic Club vs Barcelona preview

Athletic Bilbao played the final of the 2019-20 Copa del Rey earlier this month, with their fixture against Real Sociedad rearranged from last year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Although Mikel Oyarzabal's second-half penalty decided the contest, Marcelino's side will have another chance to win the trophy this weekend. Athletic Club are currently in 11th place on the LaLiga table, with 37 points from 30 games and without a victory in their last six matches in all competitions. 

Meanwhile, Barcelona are 30-time winners of the Copa del Rey, with their last success coming in 2017-18. Ronald Koeman's side recently suffered defeat against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the LaLiga, but are still in third place, only two points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. Barcelona overcame Cornella, Rayo Vallecano and Granada in this season's Copa del Rey to reach the semi-finals, where they faced a tough examination by Sevilla.

Following a 2-0 first leg defeat, Barcelona produced a stunning comeback to win 3-0 in the second game and progress to the final. Blaugrana have already beaten Athletic Club twice in LaLiga this season, but they suffered a 3-2 loss to the Basque outfit when the two sides locked horns in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup in January.

Athletic Club vs Barcelona team news, injuries and suspensions

For Athletic Club, Peru Nolaskoain, Yuri Berchiche, Yeray Alvarez and Oier Zarraga are all ruled out for the clash against Barcelona. Iker Muniain, Raul Garcia and Inaki Williams are expected to feature in attack for Marcelinho's side. 

For Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati are still nursing injuries. Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann are likely to start in the final three for Koeman's team.

Copa del Rey final live stream details: Where to watch Copa del Rey final live in UK, Europe?

The Copa del Rey final live UK channel is Premier Sports 1 (8:30 PM BST). The Athletic Club vs Barcelona live stream will be available on Premier Player HD. In Spain, the Copa del Rey final channel is Telecinco Espana. There will be no Copa del Rey final live stream in India. Live scores and updates from the game can be accessed on the Twitter handles of both teams. 

Image Credits - Athletic Club, Barcelona Instagram