A much-anticipated Copa del Rey summit clash is set to take place this Saturday. Barcelona will meet Athletic Bilbao at the Olympic Stadium in Seville on April 18 at 3:30 a.m. BST.
The road to the title is not new to manager Ronald Koeman. He has twice been crowned Copa del Rey champion. If Barcelona can beat Athletic Bilbao in the final, it will be the third time he has been crowned in the cup after winning it as a player in 1990 and as Valencia coach in 2008.
Back in 1990, Koeman was a player in red and blue. In Valencia's Mestalla (then known as "Stadio Luis Casanova"), Barcelona and Real Madrid played a national derby in the Copa del Rey final. Cruyff, as manager, led the "Dream Team" to victory over Real Madrid in the final, cementing the status of the Dream Dynasty.
In November 2007, Koeman succeeded Sanchez Flores as Valencia's coach. At the time, the Bat Boys were on the brink of relegation and were in dire straits.
In those difficult years, Koeman led Valencia to eliminate Atletico Madrid and other tough opponents in the first few rounds of the Copa del Rey, before facing Getafe in the final. The final was a 3-1 victory, and Koeman lifted the Copa del Rey trophy for the first time as a coach.
This Saturday, Koeman will once again lead his team to the first trophy of the season. Let's look forward to the final result of this exciting matchup.
