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Copa del Rey

Ernesto Valverde: "We both deserve to be here because we have beaten great teams to get here".

Athletic Club's coach and captain appeared before the media in the run-up to the final at La Cartuja.
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Fri, 05/04/2024 - 23:24

Athletic Club are ready to play the final of the Copa del Rey. The Lions arrive at La Cartuja full of excitement and with a good feeling among the group. In the run-up to the game, Ernesto Valverde and Iker Muniain appeared before the media to assess the important challenge ahead for the Basque side.

It’s been a long journey in the cup this season that now hands both teams the chance to lift this historic trophy and Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde spoke about it: "We are going to play in a final tomorrow. When you’re here, it's all about exploiting your chances to win it to the maximum. Both teams deserve to be here because we have beaten great teams.

"It’s an open game and both teams have the same chances of victory. We have to fight for it on the pitch, anything else is useless", acknowledged Ernesto Valverde, who also wanted to emphasise how evenly matched the last few games against RCD Mallorca have been: "The games are always tight against them, except for the last one".

After playing two finals in the same year without a crowd (due to the pandemic), tomorrow's match will see fans from both teams pack out the stands at La Cartuja, something that captain Iker Muniain is very positive about: "In the last finals we weren’t able to enjoy the atmosphere and this time it will be very different. We're happy that people will be able to enjoy themselves and experience the final".

The Lions are having a magnificent season and within the dressing room they feel they have a great dynamic. "I have a very good feeling. The team has trained very well this week and we have prepared well for the match. We are coming into this part of the season with a good dynamic and we hope to show it on the pitch".

As part of the final touches to their preparations, the Bilbao side trained at La Cartuja on Friday afternoon under the orders of Ernesto Valverde. You can watch the first 15 minutes of Athletic Club's session in the following video.