Athletic Bilbao vs Anderlecht Match Preview
Athletic Bilbao, who finished second to Werder Bremen in the group stage, arrive at this match poised to obtain a convincing victory. Los Leones have never won this competition and their runner-up finish versus Juventus in the 1977 UEFA Cup remains the club’s biggest European feat. Athletic and Anderlecht have not met in official play, although they did meet this past summer in a friendly which the Belgians won on penalties after a 2-2 tie. This past Sunday, Athletic suffered a heart-wrenching 2-1 loss against Villarreal in La Liga. They played inspired football, but Iraola missed a penalty in the 89th minute and two players, Javi Martínez and Orbaiz, and the Athletic coach, Joaquín Caparrós, were ejected. Forward Llorente was a nightmare to defend versus Villarreal and will surely be an aerial threat. He led all teams in scoring in the group stage with 6 goals.
RSC Anderlecht qualified for the round of 32 after finishing first in the group stage ahead of AFC Ajax. Anderlecht are regarded as the most successful Belgian team. Among other trophies, they have won 29 league tittles and they brought home the UEFA Cup, now Europa League, in 1983 defeating SL Benfica 2-1 on aggregate. Currently, they top the domestic league with a 7-point lead over Club Brugge and will be more rested than Athletic after this Saturday’s match against Charleroi was suspended due to an unfit pitch. In previous league play, Anderlecht lost 1-2 at home versus Sint-Truiden, 7th in the standings, dropping their first match of the last thirteen. Anderlecht are a respectable side who look to reclaim their status in Europe. Players to watch are the Argentine forwards Frutos and Suárez and the 16-year-old Belgian sensation Lukaku.
