Valverde's Copa Warning: 'It's About Seeing How Many Top-Flight Teams Fall'
Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde warns against complacency ahead of Copa del Rey clash with giant-killing Ourense, highlighting recent Primera upsets.
Valverde Wary of Copa Banana Skins as Athletic Face Giant-Killers
Ernesto Valverde isn’t having any of that ‘easy draw’ nonsense ahead of Athletic Bilbao’s Copa del Rey clash with Ourense. The Primera RFEF side have already sent Oviedo and Girona for an early bath in the competition, and Valverde knows his lads need to be right on it.
“The question with the Copa is seeing how many top-flight teams end up falling,” the Athletic gaffer warned in his pre-match presser, highlighting the tournament’s knack for producing upsets.
Recent Copa Carnage
Valverde’s concerns aren’t without merit. The Copa del Rey has been absolute murder for several Primera División sides already:
- Mallorca crashed out just yesterday
- Real Sociedad squeaked through in the dying moments
- Elche barely survived with a minimal win
“People on the outside don’t understand the difficulty,” Valverde explained. “Sometimes even the players don’t realize until the match starts, and by then, you’re already in trouble.”
Ourense No Mugs
The Basque boss is showing proper respect to Ourense, who’ve been on a decent run lately:
- Climbing positions in their league table
- Knocking out two higher-division sides already
- Playing with quality and strength in duels
“We’re taking them very seriously,” Valverde insisted. “Mental preparation is important, but we’ve also studied them carefully because Ourense has the tools to hurt us.”
Squad Considerations
With Athletic coming off a defeat and facing some selection headaches, Valverde has decisions to make:
- Goalkeeper Padilla could get a start: “We’ll see tomorrow. He’s ready and we trust him.”
- Berenguer requires injections before matches due to ongoing issues
- Robert Navarro is progressing well but remains a doubt
- Defensive reshuffling needed with Vivian unavailable for Monday’s fixture
The state of the pitch also concerns Valverde, who noted it’s deteriorated with each match. “We have to adapt to whatever conditions we find—that’s what the Copa is all about.”
For Athletic, it’s a case of avoiding becoming another statistic in the competition’s growing list of casualties. As the fella in the Dog and Duck might say, they’d better have their wits about them or it’ll be Brown Bread for their Copa dreams.