Today’s Spanish Copa del Rey final pits Valencia, a club with one of Spain’s most glorious traditions, against Getafe, a club with almost no rich history to speak of. Valencia has won the Copa del Rey six times, while Getafe has only reached the final once (last season, where it lost to Sevilla). However, by its own admission, Valencia is very much a team in decline, while Madrid-based Getafe, coached by former Barcelona midfielder Michael Laudrup, appears to be on the ascendancy.
Indeed, so bad has been Valencia’s season that President Augustin Morera on Tuesday declared that winning the trophy would not make up for what has been a “disastrous” campaign. “It isn’t possible to make amends for Valencia’s season,” Morera told Radio Marca. “We have an obligation to win the cup to give the fans something to cheer about after the disastrous season we’ve had.”
Meanwhile, the Spanish media is reporting that coach Ronald Koemen will be axed at the end of the season no matter what happens in the final. However, first, the club has to stave off relegation, an unthinkable outcome for most Valencia supporters. With six games to go, Valencia is just five points outside of the relegation zone. Much of this has to do with the club’s atrocious home record, taking just 15 points from 16 games at the Mestalla — a total of nine defeats in all, and the second-worst record in La Liga, behind already-relegated Levante.