Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors AZ Alkmaar in the round 2 match of UEFA Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, October 3rd at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
When the Basques brought Ernesto Valverde back in 2022, this is exactly what they hoped for from the experienced coach. However, patience was required: in his first season back at San Mamés, Athletic lost the battle for even a Conference League spot to their neighbors, Osasuna. But in the next season, they came close to displacing Atlético Madrid from the top four. The biggest achievement, however, was winning the Copa del Rey, just in time for the 40th anniversary of their last triumph in the competition. Perhaps it was this success that convinced Nico Williams to stay, despite significant interest from other clubs. The new season started well for the Euro 2024 champion and his teammates, even with Unai Simón, another key figure from Spain's victorious squad, sidelined. Simón had wrist surgery after playing through the injury in Germany and is expected back no sooner than winter. In their first European match, Athletic managed to draw 1-1 away against Roma after conceding the first goal.
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AZ Alkmaar is aiming to maximize their season. The "Cheese Farmers" generally hold a solid position just below the trio of historic Dutch giants. Currently, Maarten’s side is collecting points efficiently, though they failed to score and win against Groningen. This comes after a summer where key players like Pavlidis, Sugawara, and Odgaard were sold, and Ryan signed with Roma. On the other hand, AZ didn’t hesitate to spend €8 million to sign Parrott, who immediately began scoring, including the decisive goal in a 3-2 win over Elfsborg in the first round. However, the true hero of that match was Ruben van Bommel, the son of the former star midfielder Mark van Bommel (and the maternal grandson of Bert van Marwijk). At 20 years old, the young midfielder scored a brace at this level!
In 2015, the two clubs met in the Europa League. AZ won 2-1 at home and then played out a thrilling draw in the return leg. The Basques have more experience and are playing at home. The prediction is for Athletic to secure a victory in this match.
Prediction for the match: Athletic Bilbao to win.
