In Oviedo they have it clear. Outside the doors, the message is the same whether a manager, a player or the coach speaks: “The important thing is the League, but the Cup is an illusion.” Measured and calculated words because the blue team, a historic team that has suffered hardships and is trying to return to the elite, does not want to seem like a small team that throws the house out the window because a First Division team visits it.
Hence the dead calm in Oviedo before what is coming today: Cholo Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid visit Tartiere looking for a place in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, the only possible title they can win in a campaign with problems in the capital. A strong dish that, although from Oviedo they want to stop, Oviedism has overflowed with illusion.
This afternoon (8:00 p.m., Teledeporte) a tremendous atmosphere is expected, with the Tartiere bordering on full house, to try to overwhelm Atlético, the third largest team in Spain, with five world champions in its squad and twelve World Cups, the record of the mattress club in its history. Oviedo wants to be in the round of 16 23 years later. Los Griezmann, Carrasco, Marcos Llorente and Koke will set foot on the Tartiere to take on Oviedo de Cervera, a toothache for teams in the Second Division. A kind of Atleti in silver football: Cervera is a fan of Simeone and the Argentine has great respect for him because they share the same philosophy. For the blues the company is complicated. The differences are remarkable. Atlético is the third most valuable club in Spain: 509 million euros, according to Transfermarkt. Oviedo has an approximate value of 25 million, according to the same specialized website. But since football does not understand figures, and does understand goals, the blue team clings to the fact that anything can happen in one game. Oviedo clings today to Cholo’s motto: “Never stop believing.” Atlético is also looking to break a record: with Cervera at the helm, no one has scored a goal against Oviedo at the Tartiere.
The precedents are positive for the blues: Atlético has never won the Cup in Oviedo. Cervera will try to get a competitive team out and has the casualties of Borja Sánchez, Javi Mier, Miguelón and Aceves. The coach aims to bet on a continuation eleven compared to the last game, against Granada in the Cup, with Koba taking the helm of the team and some change at the top, with Bastón opting for the eleven.
Atlético, for their part, arrives with the casualties of João Félix, Savic and De Paul, with physical problems. The rest, with Griezmann in charge, are available for Cholo, who plays against Barcelona on Sunday.
