Athletic Club return to Europe with an exciting trip to Rome
Athletic Club return to Europe with an exciting trip to Rome
The team will set off from Bilbao Airport around 11:00 CEST with the last-minute absence of Sancet and will be backed by around 2,600 fans at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday
Six and a half years after our last European match, Athletic Club return to the Europa League this Thursday in the most magnificent of settings, Roma's Stadio Olimpico.
The Lions are in good spirits and fine momentum thanks to a three-match unbeaten run in LaLiga, but will approach this fixture with tremendous respect for AS Roma, semi-finalists in last year's Europa League, in which the only match they lost was at home against eventual champions, Bayer Leverkusen.
The team will set off from Bilbao Airport around 11:00 CEST* and is expected arrive at the Parco Del Principi hotel in the Italian capital around 14:15.
In the evening, following press appearances by Ernesto Valverde and Iñaki Williams, they will hold a training session at the stadium at 18:30.
Valverde will take a squad of 25 players to Rome. The only unavailable players are the injured Unai Simón, Yeray Álvarez and Oihan Sancet who has strained his left hamstring muscles.
This is the travelling squad: Julen Agirrezabala, Alex Padilla and Oier Gastesi (goalkeepers); Oscar de Marcos, Iñigo Lekue, Andoni Gorosabel, Unai Núñez, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Yuri Berchiche and Adama Boiro (defenders); Mikel Vesga, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Unai Gómez, Ander Herrera, Mikel Jauregizar and Beñat Prados (midfielder); Nico Williams, Alex Berenguer, Gorka Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams, Álvaro Djaló, Javi Martón and Nico Serrano (forwards).
For our fans' first European outing this season, the estimated number of supporters, based on the tickets sold by Athletic Club, will be approximately 2,600 fans.