Mestalla dictates sentence in the long dispute between Valencia and Athletic

The almost three weeks that have passed since the first leg of the Cup semifinals between Athletic and Valencia in San Mamés have gone a long way. And it is that the hangover left by that duel in Bilbao still kicks in with the arrival of the second leg in Mestalla. They have been days of crossed declarations on account of the arbitration of the first leg, in charge of the Andalusian referee Munuera Montero and much protested by Valencianism, of a calendar that Lezama considers unfair and also of Bordalás’ controversial style of play.

San Mamés was a real battle, full of intensity with two cup clubs at the gates of the final, but also excessively charged with abrupt actions, clashes and stoppages in the game that turned the second half into a rigid game of chess. Everything points to more of the same in the feudo che, with the swords in all the high after the tie to one in Bilbao. Even more so taking into account the pending accounts between Marcelino and Bordalás, two technicians who have already experienced an entire battle on the same stage. It was in the Cup too, in the quarterfinals of the 2018-19 season. The Asturian coach then sat on the local bench while the man from Alicante led Getafe, who left the 1-0 lead at the Coliseum with an epic 3-1, resolved through two goals from Valencia in stoppage time .

Until the day before the match, the exchange of accusations between both clubs has come, with the words of Bordalás in the press conference prior to the match as the last exponent. «There have been statements of all kinds insinuating that Valencia is losing time, but nothing is further from the truth. If you try to falsify reality, it is an attempt to condition the game », warned the Valencian coach, annoyed with the criticism of his team’s game. “The facts are irrefutable”, Marcelino limited himself to responding in relation to the general feeling in Athletic of feeling harmed by the schedules and the calendar.

For the decisive battle for a place in the final in Seville, Bordalás can recover his captain, Gayà, in time. Beyond the fact that he does not arrive in top form for the game due to his hamstring problems, the left back was already able to train with the group yesterday and due to the importance of him in the locker room, he will force himself until the last moment to be a part of the game. The Valencia coach, who only regrets the loss due to injury to Thierry Correia and Jasper Cillessen, has rehearsed in recent days in Paterna with a scheme of three central defenders and lanes. Foulquier and Gayà would occupy the bands in that drawing, with Diakhaby, Gabriel Paulista and Alderete in the back line, Mamardashvili with more possibilities under the sticks, Guillamón and Soler in the engine room and Guedes, Hugo Duro and Bryan Gil as attackers.

Meanwhile, at Athletic, a team already seasoned in these great nights in the cup but this time they will have to deal with a very hostile environment, Marcelino will recover his gala line-up after the rotations in the League match against Barça at the Camp Nou. They point to the eleven butler Agirrezabala, De Marcos, Iñigo Martínez, Yuri, Berenguer, Dani García, Muniain and Iñaki Williams, all of them substitutes in last Sunday’s league match and with fresh legs to accompany Yeray, Vesga and Raúl García, the three starters in Barcelona who aspire to repeat in Mestalla and therefore did not play the entire match.