Bilbao star warns Luis Suárez and Sporting: I'm ready | OneFootball

Iñigo Lekue, right-back for Athletic Bilbao, does not hide his desire to experience a magical night at San Mamés against Sporting, in the final matchday of the Champions League group stage, and is ready to neutralize Luis Suárez and prevent the Lions from qualifying directly for the round of 16.

"Luis Suárez? I'm prepared for everything, both him and the rest of Sporting's attackers. They are very good players, top-level. We hope to stop them in the best way possible," said the 32-year-old player in an interview with Sport TV channel.

The player, who has been with the Basque club since 2013, emphasized that he does not remember the last Athletic Bilbao - Sporting match, in the Europa League semi-finals in 2011/2012. "I was 9 years old. I have fond memories of what my parents and grandparents told me".

"We want to get a win to advance to the playoffs. Our goal was to reach the last match with a chance to enter the playoffs. There’s no better way than to depend only on ourselves and play in our own stadium. We are alive until the last match and with our fans. It will be a very, very tough match. We know Sporting is a great team, with a lot of European experience, coming off a great victory (against PSG) and they want the 3 points to reach the top spots. It’s going to be very difficult," said the defender.

Sporting will return to the field next Wednesday, January 28, against Athletic Bilbao. The match, counting for the eighth and final round of the Champions League group stage, against Iñigo Lekue's team, will be played at 8:00 PM at San Mamés Stadium.

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