Valencia and Athletic Club will meet Wednesday at Mestalla in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey,a competition steeped in Spanish football tradition [[1]]. The winner will advance to the semifinals and move one step closer to a potential trophy lift in the K.O.tournament. While both sides vie for domestic cup glory, Athletic Club carries the added pressure of a tight La Liga table, currently sitting just above the relegation zone [[2]]. This match marks a crucial possibility for both clubs to reshape their season narratives.
Valencia and Athletic Club clash this Wednesday at 9:00 PM local time in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal showdown. Only one team will advance to the semifinals, taking them one step closer to lifting the trophy in the prestigious K.O. tournament.
Live: Valencia vs Athletic | Copa del Rey
Confirmed Lineups
Valencia will take the field with Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Cömert, Copete, Jesús Vázquez; Rioja, Pepelu, Ugrinic, Danjuma; Lucas Beltrán and Sadiq.
Athletic will start with Padilla; Gorosabel, Monreal, Laporte, Lekue; Jauregizar, Vesga; Nico Serrano, Selton, Navarro; and Izeta.
Match Preview
Valencia has been eliminated in each of their last three encounters against teams from Spain’s top flight, all occurring in front of their home fans.
Valencia last defeated a La Liga opponent in January 2022, a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Cádiz at Mestalla, with goals from Guedes and Hugo Duro. They ultimately reached the final that year, falling to Real Betis 1-1 (5-4 on penalties).
Since then, Valencia has faced three top-tier teams – Athletic, Celta, and Barcelona – and suffered heavy defeats in all three matches.
In the 2022-2023 season, Athletic secured a commanding 1-3 win, repeating the same result in this year’s quarterfinal. A year later, they defeated Celta with an identical 1-3 scoreline.
Perhaps the most humbling defeat came last season against Barcelona in the penultimate round, a 0-5 thrashing – their worst-ever home loss in Copa del Rey history. Carlos Corberán, now the team’s manager, was already on the bench for that match.
Athletic Club enters the Copa del Rey tie looking for a spark in a challenging season. Following a draw in the Basque derby against Real Sociedad last weekend, the ‘lions’ are just three points above the relegation zone.
