Match Pack: Athletic Club vs AZ Alkmaar

After earning a hard-fought draw in Rome, it's time for the Europa League to return to Bilbao and San Mames.

Athletic Club, in search of their first victory in this year's competition, welcome to The Cathedral Dutch outift AZ Alkmaar, a team we have faced in the Europa League before.

A tough side, with a lot of young talent and European experience, they will provide a stern test as Ernesto Valverde's Lions look to pick up a first League Phase win of the campaign to put themselves in a strong position in the standings.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs AZ Alkmaar

San Mames, Bilbao

Europa League 24/25 (League Phase Matchday 2)

Thursday October 3, 21:00 CEST

Tickets are available for purchase here.

How to Watch
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Valverde's and Vesga's Comments
Catch up with everything the gaffer and player had to say at their press conferences

The Opponents

AZ Alkmaar were founded in 1957 and play their home matches at the AFAS Stadion, which seats 19,500 spectators. 

‘Kaaskoppen’ (Cheeseheads), their nickname a reference to the region's cheese manufacturers, are one of the Dutch Eredivisie's most decorated clubs. Hailing from the province of North Holland, by the North Sea, AZ have won two league championships, four cups and one supercup. In 1981 they lost the UEFA Cup final to Ipswich Town and in the 2022/23 season their under-18s won the UEFA Youth League.

The Dutch side qualified for the Europa League after finishing 4th in the Eredivisie last season. A team with a proven track record at continental level, it will be the 10th consecutive year they have played in European competition, while they also boast one of the most prolific youth academies in Europe. 

The likes of Teun Koopmeiners (his brother is in the current AZ Alkmaar squad), Joris Mathijsen, Wout Weghorst, Demy De Zeeuw and Vincent Janssen  (who played against Athletic Club) have all played for the club. And it's not just the players, coaches such as Louis Van Gaal, Ronald Koeman, Dick Advocaat, Marco Van Basten and Arne Slot have previously managed the Dutch side.

They are currently in third place with 16 points, tied with the second-placed team, after a great start to the season. They come to San Mames after a loss against FC Utrecht, the second-placed side.
 

Head coach:

40-year-old Belgian coach Maarten Martens is in charge of the Dutch club. Martnes played for AZ from 2006-2013 and is one of the most capped players in the team's history. He took over as interim head coach last year after starting the season as Pascal Jansen's assistant and was appointed on a permanent basis in June.
 

Standout players:
 

AZ Alkmaar's current squad is a mix of talented young players, such as Wouter Goes, Peer Koopmeiners, Ruben Van Bommel, Aaron Meijners, Myron Van Brederode and Ernest Poku, with proven international players like Seiya Maikuma (Japan), Troy Parrott (Ireland), Moller Wolfe (Norway) and Mayckel Lahdo (Sweden) are all regulars for respective national teams, while veterans Jordy Clasie, Bruno Martins Indi, Jerome Zoet and Riechdly Bazoer add experience to the team.
 

Like father, like son:

The current AZ Alkmaar squad contains a host of famous names which most fans will recognise, with several of their players coming from fine footballing stock.

Ruben Van Bommel is the son of Mark Van Bommel, a former PSV, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich player. Goalkeeper Sem Westverld is the son of Sander Westerveld. In fact, Sem was born in the Basque Country while his father was playing for Real Sociedad.

Lewis Schouten is the son of Ronald Schouten, who lined up for AZ Alkmaar in the 1980s, and Peer Koopmeiners is the brother of Teun Koopmeiners, a current Juventus player who won the Europa League with Atalanta last year.
 

Previous Meetings

Athletic Club and AZ Alkmaar have met on two previous occasions in official matches. Both clashes came in group stages of the 2015/16 Europa League with the Zurigorri drawing 2-2 in Bilbao and losing 2-1 in the Netherlands. Despite the results, Athletic went through to the next round as group winners , while the Dutch side finished bottom and were eliminated.

Besides those matches, the two sides have also faced each other in two friendlies. In the 1989/90 season, Athletic Club won 3-0 in Mambourg, whereas  AZ Alkmaar won 2-1 in 2003/04.