Guruzeta hunting double glory as Athletic's European hitman
The Basque striker aims to fire Athletic Club into the Champions League knockout stages while cementing his place as the club's top European goalscorer.
Athletic Club’s Basque frontman is on the verge of a remarkable European double – qualification for the knockout stages and personal glory as the club’s leading marksman in this season’s Champions League campaign.
Bergamo brilliance
Guruzeta’s equaliser against Atalanta in Bergamo proved the catalyst for Athletic’s impressive comeback victory. After the Donostia-born striker levelled things up, Nico Serrano and Robert Navarro completed the turnaround, giving the Basque side a crucial European away win despite a late Italian fightback.
“The 1-1 helped us stay alive and believe in the comeback,” Guruzeta reflected after the match.
Chasing history
The 27-year-old has been absolutely mustard in Europe this season:
- Four goals in the Champions League group stage
- Just one goal behind Athletic legend Artetxe (5)
- Already surpassed Aduriz and Merodio (3 goals each)
With the new format extending the first phase to eight matches rather than the previous six, Guru has the perfect platform to cement his place in Athletic’s European goalscoring pantheon.
Sporting showdown
Athletic now face a decisive clash against Sporting CP at San Mamés. Victory guarantees progression to the knockout phase, while a draw would leave them needing results elsewhere to go their way.
Despite the high stakes in Europe, Guruzeta remains focused on domestic priorities: “The Saturday match (against Sevilla) is more important than Wednesday’s. La Liga is our most important competition and we’re not where we’d like to be.”
Fresh for the fight
The striker will be forced to sit out the weekend’s trip to the Pizjuán after his red card against Mallorca, meaning he’ll be well rested for the crucial European encounter.
The Atalanta victory has clearly boosted morale in the Athletic camp after some disappointing home results this season. Guruzeta hopes this performance can be a turning point: “This is the Athletic we want to see, the one from the last two years.”
For the Basque club, having their in-form striker available and firing for Wednesday’s European showdown could make all the difference as they aim to secure their place in the business end of the Champions League.