Advantage BVB? Athletic Bilbao visit Dortmund without Nico Williams | OneFootball

After the 4-4 draw in the opener at Juventus Turin—which, due to the two goals conceded in stoppage time, felt more like a defeat—Borussia Dortmund are aiming for their first Champions League victory today, Wednesday, against Athletic Bilbao. The fact that the Basques will have to do without one of their key players at Signal Iduna Park should not be a disadvantage for BVB.

Bilbao’s coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed on Tuesday that Nico Williams did not even travel to Dortmund. The 23-year-old winger suffered a groin injury in early September during Spain’s 6-0 thrashing of Turkey in World Cup qualifying and has not played a match since.

Just one goal in five games without Williams

Without Williams, who had made a good start to the season with one goal and two assists in the first three La Liga matchdays, Bilbao failed to win any of their five competitive matches. In the league, they managed just one point from four games with only a single goal scored, while the Basques lost their Champions League opener 2-0 to Arsenal and are now already under pressure.

With players like Inaki Williams, the older brother of the European Championship hero, Bilbao still possess individual quality and, above all, a team with a clear structure that is sure to demand a lot from BVB.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.