France, hostile ground for the Lions | OneFootball

Athletic have resumed work at Lezama after five days off. They head to France to face Olympique de Marseille tomorrow at 17.30, then finish against Atalanta on the 14th.

According to El Correo, crossing the border has rarely been kind to the Lions. This century, all four official visits to France came in the UEFA Europa League, with three ending in defeat.

The run began in the 2011-12 group stage with a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, then far from the global force they are now. That setback was soon eclipsed by Marcelo Bielsa’s side reaching the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals.

In 2012-13, again in the groups, Olympique Lyon won 2-1, Jimmy Briand deciding it in the closing stages as a late strike from Ibai Gómez proved insufficient.

The solitary high came at the Stade Vélodrome, where Aritz Aduriz’s long-range strike earned a 1-0 first-leg win in the round of 32.

The most recent visit brought a reality check in the 2017-18 last 16, Marseille sweeping to a 3-1 victory that set the tie on their terms.

Now, with Edin Terzic in charge, this friendly is a timely gauge. The German coach will refine the team’s automatisms before the domestic kick-off, and Athletic will again try to challenge their awkward French record.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”