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Sadar opens the cup dream of Osasuna and Athletic

Sadar opens the cup dream of Osasuna and Athletic.

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Sadar opens the cup dream of Osasuna and Athletic

Sadar opens the cup dream of Osasuna and Athletic

The 'rojillos' want to bring their second cup final after 18 years closer to the experts the 'Leones', who are playing their fourth semifinal in a row

MADRID, 28 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Osasuna and Athletic Club face each other this Wednesday (9:00 p.m./La 1) at El Sadar in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, a first stake in which the 'rojillo' team will cling to their local status and their Excitement to return to a final of the 18-year-old KO tournament against a more accustomed opponent in one of his favorite competitions and who has the advantage of the second leg in San Mamés.

The team coached by Jagoba Arrasate is writing one of its best seasons in its recent history and after beating Sevilla (2-1) after extra time in the Cup quarterfinals, in the third consecutive extra time they faced in that Cup, the illusion increased by avoiding FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in this penultimate round.

However, that cup euphoria that flooded El Sadar translated into a downturn in domestic competition, as the team went four games without winning, a situation that seemed to lower the cup expectations of a team that, given its good league situation, could make an effort to fight for the title again.

The team from Pamplona also recovered last Sunday at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, where they recovered their smile and straightened their course again with a meritorious victory (2-3) and come very close to permanence (33 points), while continuing to look askance at Europe, and one point above Athletic, which does not arrive with such good feelings, but which always grows in this tournament where it has accumulated 23 titles and a total of 39 finals.

With a very clear identity with commitment, work and maximum effectiveness, without neglecting the ball, Osasuna has built a firm and robust project, determined to repeat, and even improve, its glorious era at the beginning of the century when it set foot on their first cup final in 2005, with a defeat against Betis in extra time (2-1), and the consolation of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

"When we've been at our level, we've been able to compete with any team. We have the experience of the game against Sevilla at home, it was difficult for us to get in, the stage was a bit difficult for us at the beginning, but little by little we became great, we we stood up. We have grown, if we have reached the semifinals it is because nobody has given it to us and we have arguments to fight for the pass to the final", highlighted Arrasate in the previous one.

The coach recovers Rubén García and Nacho Vidal for the duel, with the only casualty being Rubén Peña, and will have an eleven to which many of the starting theorists who rested in Seville will surely return, such as Lucas Torró, Moi Gómez, the 'Chimy' Ávila , Ez Abde, Ante Budimir, Manu Sánchez and Unai García, although the Croatian striker and Kike García are fighting for a position at the top and Aimar Oroz and Darko Brasanac to accompany Torró and Gómez in the middle.

In a Sadar that will be bursting and that will live an electric night due to the northern rivalry, Athletic lives this duel, almost a derby, with the obligation to at least match the physical and emotional intensity that Osasuna will propose to leave with a positive result to San Mames. After successfully eliminating Valencia (1-3) in the quarterfinals, the 'Leones' return to the Cup semifinals for the fourth consecutive season, extending and confirming their historic idyll with the tournament.

The rojiblancos also smiled in the draw by avoiding the two 'greats' that remained before the possibility of trying to end the drought that they have been dragging in the tournament since the 83-84 season. The competitive gene of the Bilbao team always comes out in the KO tournament and with which he hopes to forget the anxiety and doubts that he has left in his last matches.

Athletic reaches these semifinals after two consecutive defeats in the League against Atlético (1-0) and Girona (2-3), the latter also a setback emotionally and which revealed a weak and disorderly team that Furthermore, fortune did not smile on him, with two own goals. Thus, the first leg of the cup semifinals are for Ernesto Valverde's men like an oasis in his dry desert to recover the lost energy and spirit.

"I want to see a strong, consistent team that causes problems for Osasuna on a continuous basis, which we have already seen many times this season", wished the man from Extremadura in the run-up to a duel for which he will present the confirmed loss of Unai Simón although In the Cup, the starting goalkeeper is Julen Agirrezabala.

In addition, Nico Williams, who missed the last game due to a knee problem, Raúl García, Yeray and Iñigo Martínez will be last-minute doubts, although they all made the list. Alex Berenguer would occupy the place of the youngest of the brothers if he is not ready, while the Ondarroa central defender, unprecedented in 2023, seems to not be from the starting game.

OSASUNA: Herrera; Moncayola, Unai García, David García, Manu Sánchez; 'Chimy' Ávila, Oroz, Torró, Moi Gómez, Abde; and Budimir.

ATHLETIC CLUB: Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Yuri; Dani García, Vesga; Berenguer, Sancet, Muniain; and Iñaki Williams.

--REFEREE: Gil Manzano (C. Extremño).

--STADIUM: El Sadar.

--TIME: 9:00 p.m./1:00 a.m.