Athletic Club jet off to Saudi heat as squad ponders mid-season form
Bilbao outfit head to Jeddah for Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Barcelona, leaving behind freezing Basque Country for Middle Eastern warmth.
Athletic Club temporarily shelve La Liga and Champions League concerns as they prepare for their Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Barcelona in Saudi Arabia.
From Basque frost to Saudi sunshine
The Lions are swapping the bitter Basque winter for the balmy temperatures of Jeddah, where the mercury will hover between 20-30°C – a proper change of scene from the current chill back home. The squad trained in split groups on Sunday at their Lezama base, with another session scheduled for Monday morning before they board their charter flight to Saudi Arabia, expected to touch down around 11pm local time.
Tournament logistics
Ernesto Valverde’s men will train at the match venue on Wednesday ahead of their showdown with Barcelona. Their Saudi itinerary remains flexible:
- If defeated: Immediate return to Spain on Thursday
- If victorious: Extended stay until Monday, with the Spanish Federation (RFEF) already allocating training facilities for Thursday and Friday
Any potential finalists will conduct their Saturday sessions at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, the tournament venue.
Reflecting on domestic form
While the Super Cup offers silverware potential, there’s some proper soul-searching going on about Athletic’s league position. The coaching staff have been busy too, with analysts studying Atalanta’s 1-0 win over Roma at the weekend (potential Champions League opponents).
The recent 1-1 draw at Osasuna maintained their decent away form to start calendar years (four wins and two draws from their last six), but a single point doesn’t do their European ambitions many favours.
Concerning statistics
The Basque outfit have finished the first half of the season with just 24 points – their third-worst tally from the past decade. Only the 2019 (22 points) and 2021 (21 points) campaigns saw them in worse shape at this stage.
For a team with continental aspirations, there’s serious improvement needed if they’re to crack the top six by season’s end. The Saudi trip offers a chance to reset, but the underlying numbers suggest Valverde has his work cut out.