El Prat thrash Sant Rafel 5-0 to set up Copa del Rey tie with Athletic

El Prat did what was expected and set up a Copa del Rey first-round meeting with Athletic Club. After winning 5-1 away to Sant Rafel in Ibiza, the Catalan side completed the job in front of their own fans with a 5-0 victory that left no room for surprises.

• El Prat beat Sant Rafel 5-0 in the second leg at the Municipal Sagnier.
• Adri Rivas, Buyreu, Konu, Archs and David Adán scored the goals for the Catalan team.
• Athletic will visit El Prat on Thursday 29 October at 21:00 in a Copa del Rey tie.
• The match will be played on an artificial pitch, the only viable scenario in that cup week.
• The most recent precedent offers encouragement: in the 2023-24 Copa, Athletic eliminated Rubí, also from Catalonia, on their way to the title.

El Prat seal the tie against Sant Rafel

Terzic's side arrived at the second leg with a comfortable cushion following their 5-1 win in Ibiza, and they never allowed the tie to become complicated. At the Municipal Sagnier, El Prat were once again the better team and sealed a 5-0 win that reflected the gulf between the two sides. Adri Rivas, Buyreu, Konu, Archs and David Adán got the goals.

The tie had been left unresolved after the second match, scheduled for Sunday, had to be postponed due to bad weather. Everything was settled in the decisive fixture, which kicked off at four in the afternoon with the Catalan side as clear favourites.

When and where Athletic face El Prat in the Copa del Rey

The meeting between El Prat and Athletic has been scheduled for Thursday 29 October at 21:00. The match will be played at the Catalan club's ground, which has an artificial pitch, a surface that always adds an extra element to these single-legged ties.

That date was the only possible one within the cup week organised by the RFEF, the body that runs the knockout competition. Tuesday 27 was out of the question because Athletic play Getafe on the 25th at San Mamés and hold their Ordinary General Assembly of Delegates on the 28th at the Palacio Euskalduna. The club is believed to have agreed with the federation to avoid that day and steer clear of the institutional commitment.

The Copa draw had already paired Athletic with the winners of this tie

The previous Monday, at the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas, the first-round draw left Athletic waiting for the winners of the tie between Sant Rafel and El Prat. With the tie now settled, the Basque side know their first hurdle in the competition.

The Catalan precedent that boosts Athletic's Copa hopes

The first round of the Copa that Athletic won in the 2023-24 season was also played against a Catalan side, Rubí. That team, then managed by Ernesto Valverde, went on to beat Cayón, Eibar, Alavés, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid before reaching the final.

At La Cartuja, Athletic and Mallorca drew 1-1 after extra time and the trophy was decided on penalties, where the Basques held their nerve. The geographical coincidence of facing another Catalan club at this stage fuels the belief among supporters hoping for a repeat of that run.