Valencia to host Real Madrid - Barcelona Copa del Rey final - report

Valencia's Mestalla stadium is the leading candidate to host the 2011 Copa del Rey final, to be played on April 20 between Barcelona and Real Madrid, but both the Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu are being considered as alternatives.

Marca reports that the RFEF will convene before the end of this week to assess the venues, and although the Mestalla is a neutral location, its capacity of 55,000 seats is dwarfed by the Camp Nou (98,000) and the Bernabeu (80,000).

The RFEF want to ensure each club is provided with as large an allocation as possible, while maintaining their own split of seats to be distributed by the federation.

Barca president Sandro Rosell wants the match to be played in a stadium with as large a capacity as possible, due to the fact that many supporters could not gain access to their 2009 final, also at the Mestalla, when they defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1.

Madrid meanwhile are thought to want to avoid playing at the Bernabeu, after they were defeated there in the final by Deportivo in 2002.
Spain’s big two sides have met in the final before on five separate occasions, the most recent being in 1990, which was played at the Mestalla and witnessed a 2-0 victory for the Blaugrana. Barcelona and Real Madrid, but both the Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu are being considered as alternatives.

Marca reports that the RFEF will convene before the end of this week to assess the venues, and although the Mestalla is a neutral location, its capacity of 55,000 seats is dwarfed by the Camp Nou (98,000) and the Bernabeu (80,000).

The RFEF want to ensure each club is provided with as large an allocation as possible, while maintaining their own split of seats to be distributed by the federation.

Barca president Sandro Rosell wants the match to be played in a stadium with as large a capacity as possible, due to the fact that many supporters could not gain access to their 2009 final, also at the Mestalla, when they defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1.

Madrid meanwhile are thought to want to avoid playing at the Bernabeu, after they were defeated there in the final by Deportivo in 2002.

Spain’s big two sides have met in the final before on five separate occasions, the most recent being in 1990, which was played at the Mestalla and witnessed a 2-0 victory for the Blaugrana.