Match Pack: CD Eldense vs Athletic Club (Copa Round of 32)
Match Pack: CD Eldense vs Athletic Club (Copa Round of 32)
All the facts and stats ahead of Los Leones' first clash of 2023
Athletic kick off 2023 with a Copa round-of-32 fixture against CD Eldense, current leaders of Primera Federación Group II who knocked out Burgos CF in the previous stage.
It will be a complicted match the Nuevo Pepico Amat. Athletic will have to approach the match with the same level of professionalism as they did against UD Alzira and Sestao River if they are to progress to the last 16.
Match Info
CD Eldense vs Athletic Club
Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat (Elda)
Copa del Rey 2022/23 (Round of 32)
Thursday January 5, 21:00 CET
Kick-off Times
Check out our global TV guide to make sure you don't miss the match.
Team News
Ernesto Valverde has named a 23-man squad for the round-of-32 fixture Copa clash.
Valverde's Comments
The Opponents
Club Deportivo Eldense was founded in the city of Elda in 1921. The Alicante-based outfit have spent most of their existence in the third and fourth tiers of Spanish football, but did enjoy a couple of spells in the Segunda División in the 50s and 60s.
Eldense currently top Group 2 - the same division Bilbao Athletic play in - of the Primera Federación with 31 points after nine wins, four draws and four losses. One of those triumphs was a 0-1 win over our B team at Lezama back in September, Mario Soberón scoring the only goal of the game.
What's more, they have a strong home record in the league, registering six victories, three ties and zero defeats from their nine games at the Estadio Nuevo Pepico Amat this season.
The Nuevo Pepico Amat has a capacity of 4,036 spectators and is classified as a FIFA two-star stadium.
Previous Meetings
The teams have met twice before. Coincidentally, they faced off in the last 32 of the 1958/59 Copa when sides still played each other over two matches in the competition.
Los Leones won the first leg 0-3 in Elda, Mauri Ugartemendia (x2) and Jose Luis Artetxe scoring the goals. Eldense earned a spirited 2-2 draw at San Mamés in the return leg. Deportivo forward Mundo scored the opening goal before Jose Luis Artetxe equalised. In the second half, Felix Markaida gave Athletic the lead just after the hour mark, but Manso levelled for the Alicante side four minutes later.