Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil has sung the praises of Javier Aguirre ahead of their Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Mallorca.

Imanol admits he's a big fan of the Mallorca coach.

He said ahead of the first-leg: "More than highlighting the system and its players, I would highlight their coach, Javier.

"I have always shown the admiration I have for him, when they have asked me about him and his teams, and it is a pleasure to face his team in the semifinals.

"I have him in great esteem, he deserves it, he is a top coach, who has adapted over the years and I hope that I manage to have half the career that he has done."

Imanol also said: "For us it is also a historic opportunity, the one we played for no longer exists, we both have a lot at stake and for both of us it is a historic situation. It is like we would not have played the final a few years ago.

"We want to play this final, thinking that it is the first time we have the opportunity to play it, because what we play is from the past and we do not live from the past, but from the present. This is our opportunity to enter history in a big way, with our audience."