Athletic will face the first stake of the cup semifinal against Osasuna after chaining two defeats in the League. The one last Sunday against Girona left the team and was held by the fans. Valverde also lost some players. The lions, in any case, have several factors in their favor.
1. The rojiblancos have four Cup semifinals in a row
Experience, they say, is a degree and Athletic will face their fourth consecutive Cup semifinal starting tomorrow. The lions, with Garitano on the bench and several players who no longer belong to the current squad, eliminated Granada, who suffered badly in the second leg in Los Cármenes. A year later, with Marcelino, they reached the final after extra time in Ciùtat de Valencia against Levante. Last year, on the other hand, they surrendered in the second leg against Valencia at the Mestalla. This fourth consecutive semifinal is, in any case, the first in this last run in which Athletic will play first as a guest.
2. The return match against Osasuna will be held at San Mamés
It is now clear that the morale in the Osasuna dressing room, especially after last Sunday’s victory at Sánchez Pizjuán, has little or nothing to do with the Athletic booth. The lions, beyond losing two consecutive games in the League, suffered unexpectedly and almost simultaneously with Nico Williams, Unai Simón, Raúl García, Morcillo and even Yeray. Iñigo Martínez and Ander Herrera, two experienced footballers with experience in this type of confrontation, came out with their respective injuries. The return, in any case, will take place in San Mamés and within a month.
3. Sancet and Iñaki Williams are usually good at El Sadar
Sancet and Iñaki Williams left their mark at El Sadar in the final league matches between Osasuna and Athletic as the rojillo team returned to the First Division. The former of them signed a hat-trick last season that helped the lions go home with three points in their pocket (1-3). A season earlier, he scored Bilbao’s second goal in a game that ended in a 2–2 draw. The eldest of Williams, for his part, also saw the goal in Iruñea in two league games. In 2016-17 they made it 0-2 in a clash that ended 1-2 and in 2019-20 they made it 0-1 in a clash that also ended 1-2.
4. The people of Bilbao have a thorn in this contest
A good part of the current Athletic squad knows what it means to lose the final Cup defending the rojiblanca shirt. The Lions have recently reached two finals, but lost both. First against Real by 0-1 in the 2019-2020 season and then against Barça in 2020-21. In the rojiblanco dressing room, as was the case in Bielsa’s phase and even in Valverde’s previous phase, there was the feeling that the team did not know how to compete with either of them. Almost all Athletic players, from this point of view, have a thorn in them and want to get it out as soon as possible.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
