Valverde: "We have to play with our heads and hearts"

Ernesto Valverde said Athletic Club will have to use every tool at their disposal to beat CA Osasuna at San Mames on Tuesday night (21:00 CEST) and book a place in the 2022/23 Copa del Rey final.

Osasuna come to Bilbao 1-0 up on aggregate after the first leg and Ernesto admitted Los Leones will be kicking off at The Cathedral with a "disadvantage they have to try and overcome".

"There's nothing more to it. This match is definitive and we have to try to win from the start, especially as we have to come from behind," Valverde said in his pre-match press conference.

"We have to play with everything we've got: the atmosphere, heads and hearts. I suppose they're thinking the same thing. There's a lot at stake and, in these cases, knowing how to handle the pressure of a semi-final counts for a lot in every situation of the match."

Athletic have four consecutive cup semi-finals under their belts and are more accustomed to playing these types of matches than Osasuna. However, the gaffer does not believe that experience will be a decisive factor on Tuesday.

He said: "Having experience is always good. Here I'm referring to the team, but I don't think it's an advantage for us. Generally speaking, we have to focus on the game. All the build-up behind it has to be an impetus for you to go for the game.

"In the first leg there were too many errors from both sides. It seemed like we were all fighting to control the ball and it was a bit of a product of the pressure."

There is a huge prize on the line and Valverde promised his side "want to take advantage of this opportunity" and will not be lacking in spirit.

"We're excited, that's for sure. We're going to go for it," he said. "We would have liked to have won on Saturday, but we're fine. We were in full control of the game, as has been the case in many matches throughout the season.

"In our case, we're coming into this game with the team in better condition because the match before the first leg was so eventful. Even so, sometimes trends don't have much influence."