B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions for January 10-12

Cup action takes centre stage this week, with the semi-finals of the EFL Cup in England and the last 16 of the Copa del Rey in Spain, and our experts will look to point you in the way of the winners.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of the English game and will give his verdict on the League Cup ties, while Spanish football expert Karl Matchett will endeavour to find the victors in the Copa.

Manchester United vs. Hull City

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Jose Mourinho loves getting an early trophy under his belt and has taken the EFL Cup seriously from the moment they faced Northampton Town in their first game of the competition.

The Manchester United manager has seen his side win eight games on the spin and will hold no fears over the tie against Hull City.

A late Marcus Rashford goal was needed to decide the game when these sides met at the KCOM Stadium in August in the Premier League, but with United in this sort of confidence, the tie could be over by the end of the first leg on Tuesday.

New Hull manager Marco Silva will need to hope his bounce effect continues if they are to avoid a heavy defeat at Old Trafford. The Tigers beat Swansea City in the FA Cup at the weekend but had lost five of their last seven games before that.

Prediction: 2-0

First scorer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Atletico Madrid vs. Las Palmas

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Atletico Madrid have started 2017 the way they ended 2016—in winning form and by beating Las Palmas.

In mid-December it was in La Liga, last week it was in the Copa del Rey; it's difficult to see this second leg of the last-16 tie yielding a different result to those two fixtures.

Diego Simeone might change his team around plenty, and the addition of centre-back Jose Gimenez into the defensive-midfield zone hints at the manager's wish to return to the more solid style of last season, but Atletico in resilient mode are one of the most determined and aggressive sides in world football.

The must-not-lose mentality they are capable of entrenching themselves in will make it difficult for Las Palmas to even remotely get themselves back into the tie after losing the first leg by two goals.

Result: 1-0

First goalscorer: Kevin Gameiro

Southampton vs. Liverpool

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Defeat in the final of this competition last season will serve as the perfect motivation for Liverpool to take another step towards Wembley Stadium.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp saw his men lose out on lifting the trophy following a penalty-shootout defeat to Manchester City and will not risk the opportunity to make up for that disappointment.

He rested star names in the FA Cup third round against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday, but he cannot leave as many on the sidelines as his side head to Southampton on Wednesday.

Saints were hugely impressive in the quarter-final against Arsenal, absorbing the Gunners' pressure at the Emirates Stadium and limiting their opportunities while proving ruthless in attack with superb counter-attacking play.

These two sides drew 0-0 at St. Mary's Stadium in November, and the possibility of a draw seems high again here.

Prediction: 1-1

First scorer: Virgil van Dijk

Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao

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It's all a bit difficult at the moment for Barcelona, both on the pitch with results and off it with speculation surrounding the manager, per Sport, and one or two players.

Barca are good enough to come back and ensure the season is a successful one, but a tempestuous and aggressive game against a team as proud as Athletic Bilbao is the last thing they need at this point.

Athletic know how to wind up the Catalan side and will be determined to ensure their 2-1 first-leg lead isn't wasted in the return game at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Assuming the Basques keep all their players on the pitch, it could be another frustrating evening for Barcelona.

Result: 1-1

First goalscorer: Lionel Messi

Sevilla vs. Real Madrid

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Even with a changed attacking line, Real Madrid wiped the floor with Sevilla in a 3-0 first-leg win at the Santiago Bernabeu, and the emphasis on Thursday will be on continuing their unbeaten run in Andalucia.

Sevilla are impressive at home, though, so don't be surprised to see Real sit deeper and look to counter at pace at any given opportunity, especially since the sides play each other again at the weekend in La Liga, which will be the bigger priority.

Sevilla should be far more dangerous in the second leg, and they are capable of scoring two or three themselves. However, doing that and keeping Real Madrid at bay is a massive ask.

Result: 2-2

First goalscorer: Wissam Ben Yedder