The
Levante
and
Athletic
They face tonight at the Ciutat de València with much more at stake than a ticket to the final of the Copa del Rey.
The 1-1 draw of the first leg of the semifinals in San Mamés left everything to be decided for the return leg, after which Barcelona's rival will be known, who managed to overcome their tie against Sevilla with an epic victory this Wednesday at the Camp Nou.
Reaching the final would be a historic milestone for either team.
Levante had not reached the semifinals since 1935 and have failed to reach the title match in their 112-year history.
Granotas fans claim the conquest of the Free Spain Cup in 1937, but the Federation does not recognize that trophy.
The coach, Paco López, acknowledges that they do not start as favorites.
"Athletic has the obligation to go to the final through history and we have the illusion," he says.
For their part, the
lions are
confident of reaching the final to have the historic opportunity to lift two King's Cups in less than a month.
Last season's title will be decided against Real Sociedad on April 4 at the Cartuja, two weeks before the final of this edition, also at the Sevillian stadium.
Marcelino, who already lifted the Spanish Super Cup days after arriving in Bilbao, hopes to have the opportunity to revalidate the trophy he won with Valencia in 2019, precisely against Barcelona.
The coach has the only loss of Íñigo Martínez, sanctioned for a brawl with Sergio León in the match that the two teams played last Friday at the Ciutat in LaLiga with a result of 1-1.
Follow the minute by minute of the return of the semifinals live: