Valverde: “It would be wonderful to make the final”

Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde pointed out in today’s pre-match press conference that while his side go into Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final with a disadvantage due to Espanyol’s away goal in the first leg, the circumstances will chance if his team scores.

“We go into the game trailing from the first leg, if Espanyol score then that will oblige us to do the same to level the tie. However, if we score first, everything will favour us,” Valverde said in Lezama.

The coach added that he and his players are excited by the prospect of contesting the final. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us and it’s important for the club,” he continued. “It would be fabulous to make the final of the Cup and something special for me to do with Athletic, there’s no doubt about that”.

Curiously, Valverde took tomorrow’s rivals Espanyol all the way to the UEFA Cup final in 2007 only to lose to Sevilla in the penalty shoot-out.

He says he is expecting an intense game at the Power8 stadium. “I don’t know if it will be the kind of game in which key moves influence the outcome or whether one team will dominate; it’s one of those matches in which both have to be extra careful and take their chances when they get them. We are in a good moment and ready to do what we need to do to achieve what we have been dreaming about since the start of the season”.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://ift.tt/1AEBEdJ

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