Valverde: “We'll have to be at our best at Las Llanas”

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde warned his side they cannot afford to be complacent when facing Segunda RFEF side Sestao River in the Copa on Tuesday night (21:00 CET).

After a month without official action due to the World Cup, Los Leones return with a Copa second-round clash against Biscay rivals Sestao River.

"The key against an opponent like Sestao is to compete at a high level. We'll have to be at our best at Las Llanas. They're going to be very motivated, they know it's a great opportunity and they have nothing to lose," Valverde said at his pre-match press conference.

"With these kind of games, we say we have to make the difference in level count, but really we'll be playing as equals. It's a competition where one of us is going to go out and the other one is going to go through".

Although Los Rojiblancos have not played an official fixture since November, they have kept the engine ticking with a series of friendlies against top opposition. Valverde is confident his Lions will pick up where they left off before the World Cup.

He said: "We're eager to get started. We've been out of action for a while but the warm-up matches have been useful for what's ahead. It's been an strange period in which we've had to keep active to stay in shape.

"We've done well, but in the end it's a preparation process for the games starting now. Training is not the same as competing and friendly is not the same as competing in an official match.

"In addition to tomorrow's game being a derby, it's a one-off match in the Copa, so we have to be very focused."

Valverde and his assistant, Jon Aspiazu, return to a "club where [they] have great memories" with both having turned out for Sestao in the Segunda División during the late 80s.

"I'm looking forward to it. We know what the atmosphere is going to be like. It's a classic ground, plus it's a derby match and they're going to push hard," he added.

"Sestao are having a great season. They will probably be in a different league next year. They compete in every game and they are the leaders on their own merits. We've been following them since the draw and you can see there's a difference with respect to the other teams in their group.

"They know how they want to play and they play well. They're going to make the most of their chances. As [Alzira did] in the previous round, we're expecting Sestao to make life difficult for us."