Bielsa unfazed by final venue

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa does not mind where this year’s Copa del Rey final is held.

Debate is raging in Spain over whether the Santiago Bernabeu should host the tournament decider given it will be contested by Basque outfit Bilbao and Catalunya’s Barcelona.

When the two sides met in the 2009 decider a portion of fans from both clubs booed the Spanish national anthem, sparking huge controversy.

Bielsa, though, is reluctant to get involved in the affair.

“The (Spanish Football) Federation is the designated governing body and does not make sense for me to offer any opinion because we must accept what they decide,” the Argentine told Marca.

“I have no predilections.”

Bielsa also insisted that, as far as he is concerned, the RFEF can take as long as they need to decide on a suitable location for the final.

He said while ‘logistical issues requiring additional time’ need to be considered, it ‘would not matter’ to him or his players if they did not find out until ‘five days beforehand’ where the game would be staged.

The former Argentina boss insisted he is just simply looking forward to facing Barca, admitting that it is a ‘dream’ to the facing the Catalans in a final because of ‘what the club means, what they represent and the type of football they play.’

For now, though, Bilbao must focus on their push for a Champions League place and up next for Los Leones is a trip to Betis on Saturday.