Athletic Bilbao v PSG: Basque identity and intense pressing | OneFootball

This Wednesday, December 10, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) faces Athletic Bilbao (27th) at San Mamés Stadium (kick-off at 9 PM, broadcast on Canal+) during the 6th matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League. And as before every match, here is the presentation of the Parisians' opponent.

The Situation of Athletic Bilbao –

This is a very special and old club. Founded in 1898 by English workers and students, hence "Athletic" in Spain, this club focused on its local strength has long stood out in modern football with recruitment based on its training center, then on its region. A bit more open in recent years, the Leones today still have a squad almost entirely Spanish (like the staff).

Also, it is one of the few clubs that has never been relegated to the 2nd division. And while this club is known more for its midfield in recent years, with some peaks, like last season to qualify for the Champions League, or less successful moments, it is also a club with a great record: 8 Spanish championship titles (the last in 1984) and 24 Spanish Cups (the last in 2024) notably.

Today, Bilbao is 27th in the Champions League and 7th in La Liga.

The Summer Transfer Window 2025 –

Source: Transfermarkt.

Departures:

Arrivals:

Main Statistics –

This season, Bilbao is among the 31st best attacks in the Champions League with 4 goals scored (the first, PSG, has 19, and the last, Ajax Amsterdam, has 1), and is among the 20th defenses with 9 goals conceded (Arsenal has the best defense with 1 goal conceded, the last, Ajax Amsterdam, has 16).

The top scorer of the Spanish club is Gorka Guruzeta (30-year-old striker), with 3 goals he is among the 11th in the Champions League (the first is Kylian Mbappé with 9 goals). The best assist provider of the Leones is Mikel Jauregizar with 2 assists, he is among the 10th (the best assist provider is Christos Tzolis from Club Bruges with 5 assists).

The Last 5 Matches of Bilbao –

Only the Basque possession is indicated and Bilbao's shots are listed first (when data is available).

22/11/2025 (La Liga) – Barcelona/Athletic Bilbao: 4-0. In 4-2-3-1. 32% possession. 10 shots with 2 on target against 18 shots (7 on target)

25/11/2025 (Champions League) – Slavia Prague/Athletic Bilbao: 0-0. In 4-2-3-1. 48% possession. 8 shots with 4 on target against 5 shots (2 on target).

29/11/2025 (La Liga) – Levante/Athletic Bilbao: 0-2. In 4-2-3-1. 44% possession. 10 shots with 3 on target against 9 shots (4 on target).

03/12/2025 (La Liga) – Athletic Bilbao/Real Madrid: 0-3. In 4-2-3-1. 42% possession. 7 shots with 4 on target against 10 shots (8 on target).

06/12/2025 (La Liga) – Athletic Bilbao/Atlético Madrid: 1-0. In 4-2-3-1. 48% possession. 11 shots with 5 on target against 9 shots (2 on target).

The Squad:

Absentees – Alvarez, Paredes (suspension), Egiluz, Laporte, Navarro, Sannadi, Prados (injury),

The Probable Team in 4-2-3-1.

Guruzeta

N. Williams – Sancet – Berenguer

Jauregizar – Ruiz de Galarreta

Boiro – Berchiche – Vivian – Areso

Simon

The Playing Style of Athletic Bilbao.

Bilbao likes the match to take place mainly in the opponent's half, but without necessarily wanting ball possession. It is more about intense pressing to quickly create a crossing or shooting opportunity. They sometimes play the offside trap very high. The Basque team can also adapt with a consistently aggressive team. Clearly, Paris will need to bring rhythm and quality to their game to avoid the trap.

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