Copa del Rey first leg “won’t be decisive,” says Valverde ahead of Basque Derby | OneFootball

Ernesto Valverde revealed that he isn’t expecting “many surprises” when his Athletic Club side host Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.

The two sides met in LaLiga action at the start of the month, with Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta forcing a late equaliser after Gonçalo Guedes’ first-half opener at the San Mamés.

Valverde explained that Real Sociedad “showed that they’re a good team that can operate in a few ways, both in terms of building up play and on the counter attack.

“We managed to equalised at the end of a game that had become very difficult for us.”

“It won’t be decisive,” the 62-year-old said of Wednesday’s first leg, “unless something happens that heavily tips the game in favour of one team or the other, but this year’s derbies have been quite evenly matched.”

For Valverde, though, Wednesday’s clash at la Catedral comes amidst an injury crisis that leaves him without Alex Berenguer and Yuri Berchiche, with Oihan Sancet and Dani Vivian’s availability in serious doubt.

The match could represent a great chance for youngsters to get minutes on the biggest stages, with Valverde joking: “more than their ID, I’m looking at their scans!

“If they’re okay, we’ll start to assess things and see who is fully fit. We don’t want to take risks or have players out there who aren’t 100%.

“I suppose it’s what we all do – Real [Sociedad] have players out too.”

Valverde doesn’t see having to rely on less-experienced players as a negative, though.

“It’s going to be a game where we have to be focused and understand the importance of every play. If you’ve got experience, that’s always great, but the youngsters can bring a little bit more energy. One thing compensates for the other,” he explained in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Athletic Club v Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final kicks off at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday 11 February. The return fixture will be staged in San Sebastián on Wednesday 4 March.