Athletic Club Prepares for Champions League Match Against Slavia Prague

This Monday afternoon, Athletic Club will travel to Prague to face Slavia in their upcoming Champions League match. The team, which has secured only one victory so far in the competition, will depart from Loiu Airport at 3 PM via a charter flight. At 7 PM, coach Ernesto Valverde and player Guruzeta will hold an official press conference at Fortuna Arena.

Valverde has selected a squad of 23 players, including Nico Williams, who is following a specialized training regimen to alleviate the pubalgia he has been experiencing since last season. Nico was a starter in Saturday’s match against Barcelona, although he did not finish the game. It is likely that Valverde will employ a similar strategy for Nico as he did in previous matches against Oviedo and Barcelona. The international player will be up against a rival he previously scored against in the last Europa League campaign, where the lions triumphed 1-0, advancing to the semifinals before being eliminated by Manchester United.

Before departing for Prague, Athletic Club announced that Nico Serrano would not make the trip due to a strain in his hamstring muscles. The young player will remain in Lezama to recover. Other absentees for the European clash include Izeta, who is not registered for the competition and does not feature in the league either; injured players Iñaki Williams, Maroan, Prados, and Egiluz; as well as the suspended Yeray.

The coach has included Hierro, a center forward from Bilbao Athletic who made his debut against Newcastle, in the match plan. Selton, another debutant who subsequently played against Oviedo, also remains in the squad. Upon their return from Prague, the team will have a day off before engaging in two training sessions in preparation for their upcoming league match away against Levante.