Levante and Athletic Club Bilbao play the return leg of the second semifinal of the Spanish Copa del Rey knockout tournament on Thursday night to see who will meet either Barcelona or Sevilla in the final on April 17.

It will be the third game between the two teams in three weeks after they also drew 1-1 in La Liga on Friday night.

Levante go into the tie with a slight advantage after a 1-1 draw in Bilbao three weeks ago gave them an important away goal, but they will have to ensure they are not affected by the weight of history given that the Valencia-based club has never reached a Cup final in their entire history.

Athletic on the other hand still have to play Real Sociedad last season's final on April 3 and have the chance to play three finals in a four-month period, after also beating FC Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup in January.

The Basques have also been very effective in recent semifinals and travel knowing they have triumphed in the last six semi-finals they have played. They also know the last time they drew the first leg of a semifinal at home (against Espanyol in 2015) they won the return leg 2-0.

What they don't know however is whether or not they will be able to count on central defender Inigo Martinez. Martinez was sent off after the final whistle after an incident with Levante's Serio Leon and as of Wednesday morning the Spanish Football Federation's disciplinary committee had still not decided on his sanction. If it is more than four games then the defender will miss the match.

Levante also have injury problems with Jesus Campana and Gonzalo Melero (who scored Levante's goal in Bilbao) both out injured, while central defender Sergio Postigo also looks likely to miss out. Midfielders Enis Bardhi and Nemanja Radoja will be doubts until the last moment due to muscle injuries. 

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