San Mames to decide who goes through to the final

On Thursday, 29 February, at 21:30 CET, San Mamés hosts the second leg of the Copa semi-finals against Atlético de Madrid. An all-or-nothing match. After winning 0-1 at the Metropolitano in the first leg, the Lions will have to jump the last hurdle at home to reach the final.

This is the fifth consecutive semi-final for Athletic Club, who have been relentless in their attempts to win a trophy which is much revered among Athleticzales. Since kicking-off their Copa campaign at Rubí on 1 November, Athletic have performed well at every step up and now only Thursday's showdown in Bilbao separates us from a place at La Cartuja.

First round. UE Rubí (1-2) 

Athletic Club's first appearance in this season's edition of the competition came with a visit to Can Rosès, where we took Segunda Federación outfit UE Rubí. Adu Ares, netting his first goals as a Lion, scored twice in the match.

 

Second round. CD Cayón (0-3)

Next up, the Lions went to Cantabria. They faced CD Cayón, another team from the Segunda Federación. A change of stadium, due to scheduling issues and television rights, meant that Racing Santander's El Sardinero welcomed more than 8,000 Athleticzales on the night. Athletic moved into to the Round of 32 thanks to an Asier Villalibre brace and a Nico Williams goal.

 

Round of 32. SD Eibar (0-3) 

The next round gave us an exciting derby between the Lions and SD Eibar at Ipurua, Los Armeros' fortress. Although Eibar were in good form in the LaLiga Hypermotion, Athletic showed their quality and put the match to bed in the first half with another Villalibre brace and a magical goal from Iker Muniain. 

 

Round of 16. Deportivo Alavés (2-0) 

San Mamés hosted the first meeting with a LaLiga opponents, another a derby, this time against Deportivo Alavés. Villalibre, continuing his Copa heroics, bagged another double as Athletic Club qualified for the quarter-finals.

 

Quarter-finals. FC Barcelona (4-2)

Another great Copa night that will go down in history. San Mamés witnessed a battle for a place in the semi-finals. The Lions eliminated Barcelona in extra time after an unforgettable comeback. Gorka Guruzeta, Oihan Sancet, Iñaki Williams (very recently returned from international duty with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations) and Nico Williams all left their mark with brilliant goals in front of almost 51,000 spectators.

 

Semi-finals. First leg. Atlético de Madrid (0-1) 

The only two-legged tie of the competition, against Diego Simeone's Atlético de Madrid. This is a fifth consecutive semi-final for the Lions a place in the final will settled at San Mamés. Alex Berenguer, from the penalty spot, scored the only goal of the night in the first leg at the Civitas Metropolitano - where Atletico were undefeated since January 2023 - to ensure Ernesto Valverde's side hold a slim advantage leading into Thursday's clash.

 

Semi-finals. Second leg. Atlético de Madrid. 

The last battle before the final. San Mamés. Thursday, 29 February. 21:30 CET.