Athletic Club and Real Sociedad Set for Historic Copa Semifinal Clash

The Copa del Rey semifinals have set the stage for a thrilling derby matchup. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad will meet in a two-legged tie, marking a historic occasion. The last encounter between these two teams in the Copa was the final on April 3, 2021, which saw Real Sociedad emerge victorious. Now, they will compete for a spot in the final against the winner of the Atlético Madrid and Barcelona tie, scheduled for April 18 or 19.

Both San Mamés and Anoeta are expected to be filled to capacity as the venues await the announcement of dates and times for their respective matches. The first leg will take place at San Mamés this week, followed by the return leg at Anoeta between March 3 and March 5. Nico Serrano, a key player for Athletic during the draw organized by the RFEF, expressed his desire: “March 5 is my birthday. I would love to celebrate it with a victory and a place in the final.” Athletic is committed to performing well in both the Copa and La Liga, as they face Levante this Sunday. The urgency to secure league points—having not won since December—prevents them from solely focusing on the semifinal.

The last time Athletic and Real Sociedad faced each other in the Copa, apart from the final, was during the semifinals of the 1986-87 season. That matchup began with a goalless draw in San Sebastián and concluded in Bilbao with a 1-0 victory for Real Sociedad. This time, the order of the matches will differ. Athletic will enter the first leg still affected by injuries: Iñaki Williams and Aymeric Laporte have recently returned, while Vivian and Berenguer remain sidelined and Nico is still working on his fitness. There is hope that an additional month of competition will allow the team to reach optimal form by the time they face Anoeta.

Real Sociedad has successfully met its primary goals in the semifinal draw, specifically securing the home leg at Anoeta and avoiding a matchup against Barcelona, arguably their most formidable opponent, particularly after Atlético’s impressive 5-0 win yesterday. However, facing Athletic in a knockout tournament will not be an easy task. The two teams will clash just ten days after a contentious league match that ended in a draw, marked by the controversial red card issued to Athletic.

A question mark within the Real Sociedad squad is whether coach Matarazzo will have Ander Barrenetxea available again, as he has been a significant offensive asset but missed recent matches, including the one at San Mamés. The coach has made minimal rotations in the lineup, and it will be crucial to see if he maintains the same squad against Elche this Saturday, particularly considering the fatigue affecting some players who have been consistently on the pitch.