Hello folks, everyone! Tomorrow at 4:30 a.m., we will be away to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals with Athletic Bilbao. Harvey talked a lot about the condition of the players at the pre-match press conference, and Brayswitt, who has been absent for a long time, not only grew an explosive head, but also recovered well, and is very hopeful to return in this game!
The city of Bilbao, the tenth largest city in Spain with a population of almost 350,000, is the main city in the Basque Country and has its own language and culture. It is a highly industrialized city whose most famous landmark is the Guggenheim Museum.
Due to its close ties to the UNITED Kingdom, Bilbao was one of the first cities in Spain to develop a football culture. In 1898, the year before Barca was founded, Athletic Bilbao was founded.
Although the club is widely known as "Athletic Bilbao", its supporters have always insisted on calling themselves "competitive clubs". This dates back to the early days of the club and was used to distinguish it from its biggest rival, BILBAO Football Club, which was incorporated into Athletic Bilbao in 1903.
The club's iconic red and white striped shirt dates back to 1909, when a player brought back a Southampton shirt from England.
Atletico Madrid was founded by Basque players who live in the Spanish capital, which is why both teams wear the same red and white stripes. Although they later adopted a Spanish translation, the team from Bilbao still proudly retains the word "athletic" in its name.
Together with Barca and Real Madrid, they are the three clubs in Spanish football that have never been relegated to the top league, and they are also one of the few teams in football today that adopts a membership system. They only use players who have been trained in the Basque football system, and they are still extremely competitive in today's wave of globalization, which is a testament to the quality of players in the region.
The team's home stadium is the San Mamés Stadium, which was built in 2013 on the old site and has a capacity of 53,289 spectators.
Barca have met Athletic Bilbao four times this century in the Copa del Rey final and won them all: in the 08/09 season, we won 4-1 in the final to win the first trophy on the six-time journey.
In the 11/12 season, although it did not reach the end on other fronts, the team completely killed the suspense in the 30 minutes of the Copa del Rey final, and finally lifted the trophy 3-0.
In the 14/15 season, Messi staged a one-man single-handed opponent's entire left defense in the Copa del Rey final, and finally we won the championship 3-1, taking a solid step on the treble journey.
Last season, the Red and Blues swept their opponents 4-0 in the final, repaying the "one-arrow revenge" of the super cup defeat in the season. The first meeting of the season took place at Camp Nou, where the Basques scored first and Memphis equalised for us.
Barca and Athletic Bilbao have won and lost each other in recent years, with Barca winning 4, drawing 3 and losing 3 in the last 10 matches.
Athletic Bilbao got off to a good start in La Liga, losing just one of their first 12 games, but then they suffered a wave of eight winless games and are currently in the middle with 6 wins, 10 draws and 5 losses.
This season, the Williams brothers carried the banner of Athletic Bilbao's front, with Injaci Williams and Nico Williams scoring eight goals. In the semi-finals of the Western Super Cup, 19-year-old Williams Jr. completed the final battle against Atletico.
Harvey attended the pre-match press conference: "I have fond memories of playing at San Mamés and I have good relationships with many of the players at Athletic Bilbao. I admire them because they do a good job and have a clear mind, and the atmosphere on this pitch is always amazing. ”
"The game earlier this season was a reference and they have one of the best coaches in recent years. They are a very dynamic, aggressive team. They are difficult to play against, especially at home. It's the strongest Athletic Bilbao in years, and single-round robin makes it harder, but we want to go further in this event. ”
"Brayswaite looks good and tomorrow we'll see if we can put him in the squad. Memphis is in some trouble, but it's no big deal, and we'll see if he can play tomorrow. ”
"Fati and Pedri are different situations and Pedri is 100% ready, but we have to look at Fati's physical condition and we need to control when he plays. But he did well in the Super Cup, he was a star and scored. ”
Injuries: Roberto, Garcia, Memphis, Umtiti
Suspension: Luke De Jong