Stats, facts, info: All you need to know about BVB v Bilbao | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund faces Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League for the first time. BVB aims to continue its strong home series.

On the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund meets Athletic Club Bilbao for the first time in its club history at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK this Wednesday evening (9 pm, live on DAZN) against Athletic Club Bilbao. For the Black and Yellows, it's already the 45th European Cup duel with a Spanish opponent, while the Basques meet BVB for the first time.

Dortmund started the new Champions League season with a spectacular 4:4 draw at Juventus Turin. Bilbao, on the other hand, had to accept a 0:2 home defeat against Arsenal at the start. BVB has been a force at home for years: only one of the last 18 home games in the Champions League was lost, with eleven wins, six draws, and a goal difference of 37:11.

The Dortmund team is also defensively stable there - they conceded goals in only seven of these matches. Bilbao's international away performance has been fluctuating: in the Europa League season 2023/24, they only managed two victories from seven matches, although the Basques were among the top four away teams in Spain last season.

BVB aims to continue strong home series against Bilbao

The European Cup balance also promises excitement. Dortmund's home record against Spanish teams is slightly positive with ten wins, seven draws, and five losses - most recently there was a 3:1 win against FC Barcelona. Athletic has played a total of 14 competitive matches against German teams, of which only four were lost.

Bilbao, eight-time Spanish champion and 24-time cup winner, is playing its third Champions League season. Both in 1998/99 and 2014/15, they were out after the group stage, with the Basques only managing three victories in 13 matches. In the Europa League, however, they made it to the semi-finals in 2023/24.

The Spaniards also rely on an extraordinary philosophy: All players come from the Basque Country or were trained there. BVB coach Niko Kovač explains: "Every individual who plays for his region gives everything. This is local patriotism that you can see on the field."

BVB is significantly more experienced: Dortmund is participating in the Champions League for the 20th time, for the tenth time in a row. In ten of the last eleven participations, the Westphalians reached the knockout phase, three times they were in the final - 1997, 2013, and 2024.

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