Athletic Bilbao will play Barcelona in this year’s Spanish Cup final. The club known as “The Lions” ripped Sevilla apart with three first half goals in San Mamés, comfortably overcoming the 2-1 deficit from the first leg. This will be Athletic’s first Spanish Cup final since 1984. It’s an admirable achievement when you consider they only select players with Basque connections, while all other Spanish first division clubs have the luxury of worldwide resources. Athletic’s cantera policy remains controversial and an anomaly in the modern game. But they are a big club with a passionate support and they should contribute a lot towards a potentially exciting final against Barça in Valencia.