Athletic Aims to Recover Ahead of Champions Clash

The Athletic Club is striving to recover from the recent setback against Mallorca. The RFEF’s videos explaining the VAR audio regarding the penalties awarded to Vivian and Yuri likely did not sit well within the locker room. This sentiment is further emphasized by Arrasate’s comments, suggesting that anyone with a background in football would understand the situation regarding Yuri’s penalty.

On a day marked by both emotional and weather-related challenges, the players returned to training in Lezama, focusing on their upcoming Champions League match against Atalanta this Tuesday. For the Athletic to advance to the next round, a victory in Bergamo is essential. This will require a significant improvement in their recent performance, having conceded 11 goals in just 10 days across three different competitions (Supercopa, Copa, and Liga).

January has been particularly harsh on the team’s defensive rigor, conceding 12 goals in four matches played this year, with only a single win in the Copa. Matches against Osasuna (1), Barcelona (5), Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa (3), and Mallorca (3) have all severely tested the Athletic’s defense. With this handicap, they managed to secure a victory only against CyD Leonesa, which required four goals. Nonetheless, the Athletic will arrive in Bergamo with hopes of extending their chances for qualification. Mikel González, the Athletic’s football director, stated in the lead-up to the match against Mallorca, “We are very much alive,” reinforcing the notion that the team has the potential to progress in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

However, achieving this relies on overcoming an Atalanta side that is gaining momentum. In their Champions League home matches, Atalanta has only dropped points once, earning a draw against Slavia (0-0) and securing victories over Club Brugge and Chelsea with scores of 2-1, both achieved through comebacks after trailing. The Bergamo team is playing to secure their place among the tournament’s elite and to ensure advancement to the knockout stages. Last season, they missed out on this opportunity in the final match, finishing ninth and subsequently exiting Europe.