Athletic Club are in desperate need a positive result as they travel to Belarus to face BATE Borisov. Since their 3-1 win over Napoli in Champions League qualifying back in August, Atheltic have only won once in six matches. To say it’s been a disappointing start to the season for Les Leones is an understatement to say the least. All that could change though on Tuesday with a win.
BATE Borisov vs. Athletic Bilbao, 2014 UEFA Champions League: Team news and game preview
BATE has failed to defeat a Spanish club in eight tries all time, which should make Athletic Bilbao feel good.
Juan Manuel Serrano Arce
The odds may be in Athletic’s favor thanks to the fact that BATE Borisov have failed to defeat a Spanish opponent in eight tries. They’ve only managed to score two goals against a Spanish side since 2009.Those numbers aren’t good, and when you combine them with BATE’s 6-0 loss against FC Porto in their first group stage match, things are looking about as positive as they can for Athletic.
Ernesto Valverde’s offense has been stagnant for most of the season and despite the fact they’ve not been playing poorly overall, they simply haven’t been able to reward their defenses solid play with enough goals to win matches. If there’s any team they should be able to score against, it’s BATE, and it could be the matchup they need to kickstart their season.
Key Player: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Club)
Since returning to Athletic in 2012 after four seasons away, Aduriz has been a huge part of the Leones’ success. He’s scored 30 times over the past two seasons for Athletic, including 16 last season as they finished in fourth place and qualified for the Champions League. This season Aduriz has just two goals and Athletic’s offense has sputtered leading to just one league victory from five matches. If the Leones are going to make any kind of run in Europe, they need their star striker to step-up.
Key Matchup: BATE attack vs. Athletic defense
Given Atheltic’s struggles to score goals this season, their defense has been under considerable pressure to keep them in games. The defense held firm against Shakhtar Donetsk’s prolific attack in their group stage opener, so they should feel confident ahead of Tuesday’s match. BATE will need to try and break through early, hoping to put Athletic’s offense under even more pressure to perform.
BATE Borsiov injuries and suspensions
In Doubt: Nemanja Tubić (undisclosed)
Athletic Club injuries and suspensions
Out: Ager Aketxe (broken toe)
Neither team is dealing with any new injuries ahead of Tuesday’s match with both Nemanja Tubić and Ager Aketxe having been long-term absentees.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Borisov Arena, Borisov, Belarus
TV: DirecTV, FOX Soccer Plus (U.S.), Sky Sports Red Button (U.K.)
Online: FOX Soccer 2Go, ESPN3 (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), SkyGo (U.K.)
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