Athletic Bilbao vs BATE Borisov preview - Aduriz question mark for Athletic

Posted Tuesday, December 09, 2014 by PA

Athletic Bilbao hope to have Aritz Aduriz fit in time for Wednesday's Champions League encounter against BATE Borisov.

Aduriz is Athletic's top goalscorer this season with six in 14 games but sat out Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Cordoba with a muscular problem.

Athletic hope the 33-year-old can return to action against BATE at the Estadio San Mames with a place in the Europa League at stake.

"Aduriz contributes a lot to our game, not just his goals but also his style of play," Athletic defender Mikel San Jose told his club's official website.

"He is an important player for us."

Both teams have already been eliminated from the Champions League and just one point separates the two heading into the final Group H match.

A draw would be sufficient for Athletic to finish third but San Jose, whose goal handed Athletic their first Champions League win in last month's 1-0 triumph away to Shakhtar Donetsk, insists his team will go all out for victory.

"The defeat to Cordoba was a huge blow for us," he said.

"We didn't play well and they made us pay for our mistakes. We must put that result behind us.

"We all know what we have to do. We want to go out and win the game and prove that we are better than them.

"Our aim is to finish third and remain in Europe. Wednesday's game is crucial for us and we don't want to disappoint our fans."

BATE travel to the Basque country hoping for a repeat of the 2-1 home win they recorded over Athletic in September, their only victory in the competition.

Alyaksandr Yermakovich's men will have to show a drastic improvement at both ends of the pitch, with BATE having scored just twice and conceded 22 goals in five games.

The visitors, who last month were crowned Belarusian champions for a ninth consecutive season, last reached the Europa League last 32 in the 2012-13 campaign.

The hosts will be without defender Carlos Gurpegui, who serves a one-match ban.b