Match Pack: Athletic Club vs RCD Espanyol (Copa round of 16)

San Mamés is set to host its first night of Copa football this season. Athletic Club and RCD Espanyol, two giants of the competition, face each off in a single-leg, winner-takes-all duel in Bilbao.

The last Copa clash between the two sides took place in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 edition of the competition, the Lions emerging victorious and booking a place in the final after winning over two legs.

Diego Martínez's men arrive at San Mamés with a good run of results in LaLiga under their belts. They have recently picked up draws against FC Barcelona and Girona FC in addition to a victory over Getafe CF.

In the Copa, Los Pericos eliminated RC Celta in the round of 32 - the only tie in that round which saw two LaLiga pitted against each other.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs RCD Espanyol

San Mames (Bilbao)

Copa del Rey 2022/23 (Round of 16)

Wednesday January 18, 20:00 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 24-man squad for the round-of-16 fixture Copa clash. Defender Iñigo Martínez remains sidelined with a heel injury.

Valverde's Comments
Ernesto is hoping for a great night of football at The Cathedral, while he also backed Los Leones to return to winning ways.
Catch up with what the gaffer had to say.

The Opponents

RCD Espanyol were officially founded as Club Deportivo Español  in Barcelona on February 28 1909.

The Catalan side is a LaLiga stalwart, having competed in the top flight for a total of 87 seasons. Espanyol have only played outside the first tier five times in their history: 1962/63, 1969/70, 1989/90, 1993/94 and 2019/20. In addition, Los Pericos have four Copa del Rey trophies in the cabinet.

Diego Martinez's charges have made it to this stage of the Copa after defeating CD Rincón (0-3) and CD Atlético Paso (0-1) in the first two rounds, and RC Celta (3-1) in the last 32.

Previous Meetings
Athletic and Espanyol have faced each other 22 times previously in the Copa del Rey, with Los Rojiblancos having won 14, drawn six and lost two.

The last time was in 2014/15, when the Zurigorri reached the final by beating the Catalan side in the second leg of the semi-final. The first match was played at San Mamés, where Athletic were held to a 1-1 despite an Aritz Aduriz goal in the 11th minute. A few weeks later Los Leones visited Cornellá and won 0-2 thanks to strikes from Aduriz and Xabi Etxeita.