Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Valencia CF (Copa SF 1st leg)

Thursday night sees San Mamés host the first leg of Athletic Club’s Copa semi-final tie with Valencia CF. After knocking out, Mancha Real, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Lions are just two semi-final legs away from reaching a third consecutive final.

Athletic Club are also in the midst of hot streak, with wins in their last four matches in all competitions and only one loss so far in 2022.

Marcelino’s Lions will be looking to achieve a positive result at what will surely be a vibrant San Mamés before they head down to Valencia for the decider on March 2. What’s more, there will be no away goals in this tie.

Match Info
Valencia CF (Copa SF 1st Leg)

San Mamés (Bilbao)

Copa del Rey 2021/22

Thursday February 10, 21:30 CET

How to Watch

We’ve compiled a worldwide TV guide so you can watch the semi-final first leg from wherever you are in the world.

Marcelino’s Comments

Marcelino insisted his players should not think beyond the first leg, saying a good performance and result at San Mamés will be crucial to booking a place in the final.

Catch up with what the Gaffer had to say at his pre-match press conference.

The Opponents

Founded in 1919, Valencia CF have won eight Copas del Rey in their history. Known as “Los Ché”, they last won it in the 2018-19 season. Under the leadership of Marcelino, they managed to beat FC Barcelona 2-1 at the Benito Villamarín.

The Valencian club’s silverware cabinet also contains six LaLiga titles, one Spanish Super Cup, three UEFA Cups, two European Super Cups, one Eva Duarte Cup and one European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Currently coached by José Bordalás, Valencia are 11th in LaLiga Santander table. Their most recent fixture was a goaless draw against Real Sociedad and they are without a win in their last five LaLiga fixtures. There are some new faces in the squad with Bordalás having brought in Bryan Gil, Ilaix Moriba and Eray Cömert during the winter break.

This season, Los Ché have seen off five teams to get to this stage of the Copa del Rey: Utrillas (0-3), Arenteiro (1-3), FC Cartagena (1-2), Atlético Baleares (0-1) and Cádiz CF (2-1).

Previous Meetings
It is an exciting tie between two teams who have faced each other a total of 194 times in history across all competitions. They have met in the Copa on 12 occasions with mixed fortunes for both sides. The balance between the two is very even, as both sides have five wins and two draws.

Four of those clashes have come in Copa finals with the record split down the middle. Athletic lifted the trophy in the 43/44 and 44/45 campaigns, while Valencia were victorious in 48/49 and 66/67.

In terms of the Copa duels played at San Mamés, the Lions have won three of out of four. Moreover, this will be the third semi-final tie between the teams, with Los Rojiblancos winning the previous two across two legs.