Valverde wary of cup banana skin as Athletic look to bounce back from Barça battering

Athletic Club boss Ernesto Valverde has his lads on red alert as they prepare to face Cultural Leonesa in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey clash, with the manager desperate to see a reaction after their Super Cup hammering by Barcelona.

Cup pressure mounting

The Bilbao outfit travel to León with the weight of expectation firmly on their shoulders, something Valverde acknowledges openly. “In these matches you go with great obligation and we need to be strong,” the gaffer admitted, highlighting the knockout nature of the tie where one team advances and the other goes home packing.

Athletic’s squad situation looks a bit dicey with Berenguer and Simón carrying knocks from the Barcelona defeat, while Laporte remains sidelined and Vesga is struggling with the same back troubles that kept him out of the Super Cup squad. On the bright side, Yuri returns to bolster their options.

Mental recovery crucial

The manner of Athletic’s defeat to Barcelona has clearly left its mark on the squad’s psyche. Valverde revealed the team has been reflecting on that performance, hoping to use it as motivation rather than allowing it to become a psychological burden.

“It was a tough defeat in the Super Copa because of the way it happened,” Valverde explained. “We’ve talked about it and reflected on it. We’ll try to use it to take a step forward.”

Copa del Rey dreams

The Cup holds special significance for Athletic, with Valverde making no bones about their ambitions:

• Athletic won the trophy recently after years of near-misses
• Victory would secure European qualification
• The competition offers a realistic shot at silverware

Respect for Cuco Ziganda

Valverde spoke warmly about facing Cultural Leonesa’s manager José Ángel ‘Cuco’ Ziganda, with whom he shares a “special connection” from their time working together. He praised Cultural’s structure and counter-attacking threat, showing proper respect for the lower-division side.

The Athletic manager also addressed questions about his future at the club, insisting no discussions have taken place with the board as they remain “absolutely focused on the matches” during this critical phase of the season.

With Athletic’s defensive record taking a hit this season (particularly from those Barcelona and Dortmund drubbings), Tuesday’s cup tie represents the perfect opportunity to get back to the solid foundations that served them so well last campaign.