Borussia Dortmund meets Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League and thus a top club from Spain. The favorite is still the BVB. This is due to someone who doesn’t play at all.
At the end of August, the world at Athletic Bilbao was still in the best order. The club from the Basque Country had made three victories in a row in the Spanish league. With the fans, this fueled the hope of being able to get involved at the top this season. Last year, the red-whites were fourth behind the big clubs FC Barcelona, Real and Atletico Madrid.
Injury to the National team
But then came the international break, and in the 6-0 win of the Spanish national team in the World Cup qualification in Turkey, Bilbao’s striker Nico Williams was injured.
Since then, Athletic has only won one point in four league games and only scored one goal – at the bottom of the table from Girona. In the table, the team of coach Ernesto Valverde slipped in ninth place. Also the Champions League-start at home against FC arsenal Was lost 0-2. This proves a certain dependency on the superstar.
As an outsider to Dortmund
If Bilbao competes on the second match day of the premier class at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday (from 9 p.m. in the radio full report and in the live ticker at Sportschau.de), it is therefore only an outsider. Because Williams will not be there there either.
Sportschau Champions League Live, 01.10.2025 8:50 p.m.
Contract extension as Affair
The violation of the 23-year-old European champion weighs seriously. It is like a stab in the heart for the club – to put it dramatically. It was only in the summer that the left wing striker had extended his contract with the Northern Spaniards by 2035 and also rejected offers from FC Barcelona and Bavaria from Munich.
“When it comes to making decisions, the most important thing for me is to listen to my heart”said Williams back then: “I am where I want to be with my people. This is my home. Aupa athletic.”
Bilbao maintains its Basque identity
In Bilbao you like to hear something like that. The traditional club has always played Basque or players who were trained in a Basque association in their youth.
This limits the selection, but Bilbao prefers to do without championships, fame and honor instead of his DNA and his identity. Against this background, the recent successes – the achievement of the Champions League and the 2024 cup victory – are all the more remarkable.
Nico Williams on the side of his brother Inaki
Nico Williams, the son of an immigrant family from Ghana, is a plant of the club, he has been playing there for twelve years. He was born in Pamplona and started his career at the Ca Osasuna club there. And if he “With my people” says, then he means primarily his brother.
The eight -year older Inaki is captain of the “Löwen”, was born in Bilbao and has been playing at Athletic for 13 years. He is the oldest player in the squad. This is probably called loyalty. In fact, many players spent their entire career at the club. Inaki is on the best way there.
Inaki holds the record for Starting operations in a row
In October 2021 he set a record. With his starting fine in the game against Deportivo Alaves, the then 27-year-old in 203 games in a row for Bilbao stood on the pitch from the start. The record series only ended in January 2023, after Williams had previously been in the starting eleven. That was five and a half years of permanent mission since April 2016.
In Dortmund only with “half” wing pliers
Against Dortmund, Bilbao’s hopes for Inaki, who as a right wing with his brother, also rests the wing tongs. But without Nico Williams, Bilbao currently only seems to be worth half.