Partidazo in prospect as Athletic Club host Valencia in the Copa del Rey

It is a semi-final lineup for the ages. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were already out. Real Madrid subsequently fell too, leaving a final four full of intrigue and fascination.

Betis have one foot firmly in the final after their impressive come-from-behind win against Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas on Wednesday night, but the headline game comes at San Mames on Thursday when Athletic Club host Valencia. “The Marcelino Derby” to coin a phrase, but this game is about more than one man.

Two men, to be precise. Marcelino and Jose Bordalas have faced off numerous times over the last decade and a half, and in recent years this rivalry has boiled over and spilled into outright animosity. In 2019, Marcelino’s Valencia and Bordalas’ Getafe were fighting for fourth spot in La Liga and were drawn together in the battleground intensity of the Copa del Rey. 

The dramatic nature of those Copa clashes in particular left a distinct mark and led to a war of words in the press rooms. It was a clash of styles which turned personal, said Eurosport, involving “endless reprimands, aggression and contempt”.

Marcelino was of course the ultimate winner in 2019, guiding Valencia to fourth and winning the Copa by beating Barcelona in the final. However, cup success was somewhat pyrrhic, proving fatal for him as the well-documented disconnect with the ownership led to his sacking.

In a twist of fate, now Bordalas is the man on the bench at Mestalla, and Marcelino could be the pantomime villain. It would be ironic if Marcelino – having effectively been sacked for winning the Copa – would return to Mestalla and knock Los Che out with his new club. The ultimate full circle own goal from Meriton.

It is worth stressing that both coaches have moved on from the Machiavellian morbo and those days of high tension. They embraced earlier this season when Athletic visited Mestalla, with the Asturian receiving a hero’s welcome from the Valencian fans who still adore him. In the pre-match press conference, Bordalas was calm and assured that there would be “good vibes” and cordiality between the two in Bilbao on Thursday. Let’s see how long that holds up.

As for Athletic Club themselves, they have been nothing short of remarkable in the domestic cup competitions under Marcelino. They are one tie away from reaching a fifth final in just over a year. They have beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 2021 Supercopa, Atletico in the 2022 Supercopa, and then Barcelona and Real Madrid again in consecutive rounds of this season’s Copa. The power of San Mames was something to behold in both those matches, with Los Leones seeming to be able to dig deeper and find reserves of energy and quality that the favourites were incapable of mustering.

They are the first club to eliminate the big two in the same edition of the Copa since Real Zaragoza did it in 2006, and it is only the thirteenth time it has ever happened (the Basques have now achieved it four times, the most of any club). 

In the starkest of contrasts to his situation at Valencia, Marcelino now finds himself at a club who place significant pride and value in winning any kind of trophy. We all remember the euphoric celebrations when they won the Supercopa last year. Winning the Copa for the first time in almost forty years would be on another level entirely. 

Perhaps it is a disadvantage having to play the home leg first, but if anyone can mastermind an away trip to Mestalla to close out a result, it is surely Marcelino. Contrastingly, Bordalas has far less experience in these types of encounters, but will also fancy his chances of writing his own history with Valencia.

It will be tactical, probably physical, intense and surely quite close over 180 minnutes. One thing is a guarantee though: you won’t want to miss a single moment.