Athletic Bilbao Targets Two Copa Del Rey Cups In Two Weeks

  Athletic Bilbao Targets Two Copa Del Rey Cups In Two Weeks By Omolagba Oluwayemi With the final of last season's Copa Del Rey final postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Athletic Bilbao who also qualified for this year's final could lay their hands on the same trophy twice within 14 days, BSNSports.com.ng reports. Speaking ahead of the finals is Inaki Williams who scored the winner as Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona 3-2 in extra time to win the Supercopa de Espana. Inaki Williams recalls the days he would watch youngsters training at Athletic Bilbao's famed Lezama academy and dream of representing the club he loved. Now the forward, whose own chance at Lezama arrived when he was 18, has the opportunity to help his boyhood team win the Copa del Rey twice in as many weeks. "For anybody born in Bilbao or the surrounding areas, the main dream that children have is to end up playing for Athletic Bilbao," says the 26-year-old. "I have been very fortunate because this dream has come true. Now I have the possibility of winning two titles, of making Athletic Bilbao become a champion." The club's last success in the competition came in 1984 as part of a domestic double but they can end that 37-year wait on Saturday against Basque neighbours Real Sociedad. That will be the 2019-20 final, which was delayed by 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic in the hope fans would be allowed to attend, though it will now go ahead in Seville without supporters. Athletic will then take on Barcelona on 17 April in this season's final, having already beaten the Catalan giants to win the Supercopa in January. Underpinning all that Athletic Bilbao do is a philosophy that dates back more than 100 years and one that sees them field only players who have come through the academies of Basque Country clubs. It may limit their available talent pool but Athletic are one of only three clubs, alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, never to have been relegated from Spain's top flight and have won eight La Liga titles in that time. Following Marcelino's appointment as manager in January, Athletic beat both those sides to win the Supercopa and, despite not being Basque himself, the head coach believes the club's methods remain sustainable. "Is it incompatible with the 21st century? I would say absolutely not, because the principles are way ahead of different situations," he says. "When you really trust and believe in a principle it is very authentic, and the philosophy and even the way of living and way of behaving is very strong. It is very responsible, respectable and even very viable. I think it is fantastic."