Lekue: "The fans' support will be key for our upcoming matches"

Athletic Club full-back Iñigo Lekue has urged Athletic supporters to come to San Mames this Thursday for our LaLiga Santander match against Sevilla FC (22:00 CEST).

Despite the late kick-off time, Iñigo is certain the fans' support will be crucial in what looks set to be a key fixture in Athletic's hopes of achieving European qualification.

"We have some crucial matches coming up. We know the times aren't ideal, but our fans and the support they give us will be key," Iñigo said.

"We've reacted well and turned things around. We needed to put together a good run in LaLiga so we could fight for what we have to fight for and now it's in our hands. The aim is to to get to the end of the season with a chance of qualifying for Europe."

After extending his contract at Athletic until 2025, the full-back stressed that his wish from the outset was to stay on at the club.

He said: "I never saw myself leaving Athletic. From the conversations that the club had with me, I knew from the beginning that we were going to reach an agreement.

"On a personal level it has been a difficult year, but on a footballing side I've enjoyed it a lot. I hope to recover from my injury as soon as possible and get back to playing at my highest level."