Match Pack: Sestao River vs Athletic Club (Copa 2nd Round)

Athletic Club return to action with a Copa second-round tie against Sestao River Club. It is an exciting clash, with the Biscay-based sides rarely getting a chance to meet in official competition. If the atmosphere at Las Llanas during the 2019/20 fixture is anything to go by we should be in for another iconic celebration of football in this region.

River are in the second round after defeating Racing Ferrol 1-0 at Las Llanas, while Athletic overcame UD Alzira with a 0-2 victory at the Luis Suñer Pico.

Match Info
Sestao River vs Athletic Club

Las Llanas (Sestao)

Copa del Rey 2022/23 (Second Round)

Tuesday December 20, 21:00 CET

Kick-off Times

Team News

Ernesto Valverde has named a 22-man squad for the second Copa clash. Jon Morcillo has not been included in the squad as he has the flu.

Valverde's comments

Catch up with what the Gaffer had to say ahead of the match

The Opponents

Sestao River Club was formed in 1996 as the phoenix club of Sestao Sport, a side that was founded 80 years earlier in 1916. A storied club in the history of football in Biscay, Sestao have played their home matches at Las Llanas since 1923.

After mostly competing in regional leagues, In 1939/40, following the end of the Spanish Civil War, Sestao joined one of the five groups that made up the Segunda Division. 'River' as they became known, spent a seven-season spell in the second tier between 1954 and 1961. When the Segunda División B was created in 1977, Sestao went up a league.

They stayed in the Segunda Divisón B until winning the title and achieving promotion under Jabo Irureta - another former Athletic player and head coach - in 1984/85, kicking off the club's golden age. With a side containing the likes of Ernesto Valverde, Jon Aspiazu, Jose Luis Mendilibar and Eduarado Estibariz, River were in the Second Division for seven consecutive campaigns, even flirting with promotion to the Primera Division at times.

Sestao suffered relegation in 92/93 before going back up again the following season. Serious financial issues had plagued the club and they went bust after going back to the Segunda B after one campaign back in the second tier. Sestao Sport was dissolved in the summer of 96, but a few days later Sestao River was born.

River currently play in the Segunda RFEF and top Group 2 with 34 points from 10 wins, four draws and one defeat.

Sestao-Athletic Connections
Ernesto Valverde and Jon Aspiazu, Athletic's head and assistant coach respectively, sat down with the Club to speak about their experiences playing under Irureta at Las Llanas.

Previous Meetings
The two sides have faced each other a total of 55 times, their first meeting a 1-3 win for Los Leones in a Regional Championship match almost exactly 100 years ago.

Seven of those clashes have come in the Copa, with Athletic winning four times, drawing twice and losing once. The most recent match, also in the Copa, came in the 2019/20 season. Los Rojiblancos won the second-round tie 0-4 at a packed-out Las Llanas, Asier Villalibre and Yuri Berchiche getting a brace each.