The young Athletic goalkeeper will put on his gloves again due to Unai Simón’s muscular discomfort
It will be the third time that they have faced the Blaugrana team in San Mamés without yet knowing defeat against the Catalans
Putting on your gloves and standing under the goal at San Mamés is always special. Even more so if you are barely 22 years old and your name is Julen Agirrezabala. Athletic Club’s second goalkeeper will start again tonight to face FC Barcelona starting at 9:00 p.m. on matchday 25 of La Liga.
Unai Simón’s discomfort in the Achilles tendon has not disappeared and Ernesto Valverde’s starting goalkeeper has not been able to train with the rest of the group in any session throughout this week. The sensations are still not entirely good and, for this reason, Julen Agirrezabala will jump back onto the pitch at La Catedral to defend his goal.
He will do it against Barça and, despite his youth, he will not debut against the Catalans: it will be his third game against the Blaugrana team. This way, will be the second team that has faced the most times, only surpassed by Real Unión (4) and tied with Portugalete, Logroñés and Valencia.
At the moment, and waiting to see the result when Gil Manzano signals the end of the match between the Basques and the Catalans, Agirrezabala does not know what it is to lose against Barça. It premiered on August 21, 2021, on the second day of the domestic competition, in what was his second game with the Athletic first team.
The final result was a 1-1 tie, with goals from Iñigo Martínez and Memphis, and Julen closed the game with two saves. The man from Renteira put on his gloves in the first two dates of La Liga, given that the Bilbao club granted a special permit to Unai Simónafter playing the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games and being able to extend his vacation period.
The other duel in which they faced Barça was five months later, in the round of 16 of the Cup, their competition. The lions obtained a ticket to the quarterfinals of the ‘KO’ competition, after beating the blaugrana 3-2 in extra time at La Catedral. So, tonight, same goalkeeper, same rival and same stage: Agirrezabala in San Mamés against Barça.