UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estadio de San Mamés - Bilbao Thursday 10 December 2015 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Athletic Club Group L - Matchday 6 AZ Alkmaar Last updated 08/12/2015 17:00CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Team facts 5 Squad list 7 Fixtures and results 11 Match-by-match lineups 15 Match officials 18 Legend 19 1 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Henriksen 55, Eneko 01/10/2015 GS AZ Alkmaar - Athletic Club 2-1 Alkmaar Bóveda 65 (og); Aritz Aduriz 75 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Athletic Club 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 AZ Alkmaar 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 Athletic Club - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 3-0 Clarke 38 (P), 55, 27/09/1978 R1 AFC Ajax - Athletic Club Amsterdam agg: 3-2 Lerby 89 13/09/1978 R1 Athletic Club - AFC Ajax 2-0 Bilbao Churruca 9, Vidal 58 AZ Alkmaar - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Rami 15, 17, Jordi 4-0 05/04/2012 QF Valencia CF - AZ Alkmaar Valencia Alba 56, Pablo agg: 5-2 Hernández 80 Holman 45+1, 29/03/2012 QF AZ Alkmaar - Valencia CF 2-1 Alkmaar Martens 79; Mehmet Topal 51 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Chevantón 52 (P); S. 14/12/2006 GS Sevilla FC - AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Seville Arveladze 63, 90+3 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers S. Arveladze 26, AZ Alkmaar - Real Betis 2-1 23/02/2006 R3 Alkmaar Jaliens 35; Melli 94 Balompié agg 2-3 (aet) ET Real Betis Balompié - AZ 15/02/2006 R3 2-0 Seville Diego 70, Robert 79 Alkmaar UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 14/04/2005 QF AZ Alkmaar - Villarreal CF Alkmaar Perez 8; Figueroa 72 agg: 3-2 2 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao UEFA Cup Riquelme 13; 07/04/2005 QF Villarreal CF - AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Villarreal Landzaat 11, Nelisse 74 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 Rexach 32 (P); Kist 02/11/1977 R2 FC Barcelona - AZ Alkmaar agg: 2-2 (aet, 5- Barcelona 69 4pens) Nygaard 41; 19/10/1977 R2 AZ Alkmaar - FC Barcelona 1-1 Alkmaar Neeskens 46 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Athletic Club 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 3 5 AZ Alkmaar 5 3 2 0 5 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 10 5 3 2 13 14 3 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Match background Athletic Club have won UEFA Europa League Group L thanks to their head-to-head superiority over FK Partizan, while matchday six visitors AZ Alkmaar are destined to finish bottom. Previous meetings • AZ secured a 2-1 win – their only Group L victory to date - when the teams met for the first time in UEFA competition on matchday two. • Athletic's only previous encounter with Dutch rivals was a 3-2 aggregate defeat by AFC Ajax in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup first round. • AZ's ten games against Spanish sides have ended W5 D3 L2 (W2 D1 L2 in Spain). Form guide • Athletic have won all four of their European home games this season; AZ are on a three-game losing streak on the road. • Losing finalists in 2012, Athletic made it through to the round of 32 in their first three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, but fell short in their most recent one, 2012/13. • AZ's eighth UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaign will finish after matchday six; they have advanced to the knockout stage five times, most recently in 2013/14 when they got as far as the last eight. Trivia and links • The journey from Alkmaar to Bilbao is about 1,200km. • Athletic's Aritz Aduriz is the top scorer in the 2015/16 group stage with six goals – one more than his nearest rival, Augsburg's Raúl Bobadilla. • Athletic midfielder Markel Susaeta is one appearance shy of his 50th in UEFA club competition. The coaches • Ernesto Valverde took charge of Athletic for a second time in 2013. As a player, he had enjoyed the most stable period of his career in Bilbao, and he promptly returned to the club after retiring, including as head coach from 2003– 05. Subsequently, he landed three Greek titles with Olympiacos FC and coached both Villarreal CF and Valencia FC. • AZ boss since 2014, John van den Brom spent the majority of his playing days as a midfielder at Vitesse. Capped twice, he went on to coach Ajax's youth team, ADO Den Haag and Vitesse before heading to RSC Anderlecht and lifting the Belgian title in 2012/13. 4 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Team facts Athletic Club Formed: 1898 Nickname: Los Leones (The Lions) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League: (1977), (2012) Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 8 (1984) Spanish Cup: 23 (1984) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2012/13: group stage 2011/12: runners-up 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: round of 32 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2006/07: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2005/06: UEFA Intertoto Cup second round Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 6-0: Athletic v HJK Helsinki 23/08/12, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg • Biggest away win 1-7: R. Standard de Liège v Athletic 16/12/04, UEFA Cup group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Athletic v SV Werder Bremen 16/12/09, UEFA Europa League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: Juventus v Athletic 26/10/88, UEFA Cup second round first leg 4-0: RSC Anderlecht v Athletic 25/02/10, UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 6-0: Athletic v HJK Helsinki (see above) • Biggest away win 1-7: R. Standard de Liège v Athletic (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Athletic v SV Werder Bremen (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: Juventus v Athletic (see above) 4-0: RSC Anderlecht v Athletic (see above) AZ Alkmaar Formed: 1967 Nickname: Kaaskoppen (Cheeseheads) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Cup: (1981) 5 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 2 (2009) Dutch Cup: 4 (2013) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2013/14: quarter-finals 2012/13: play-offs 2011/12: quarter-finals 2010/11: group stage 2009/10: UEFA Champions League group stage 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: group stage 2006/07: quarter-finals 2005/06: round of 32 Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 11-1: AZ v FC Differdange 03 14/09/77, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Biggest away win 0-5: FC Differdange 03 v AZ 27/09/77, UEFA Cup first round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AZ v FC Anji Makhachkala 30/08/12, UEFA Europa League play-off second leg • Heaviest away defeat 4-0: Valencia CF v AZ 05/04/12, UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 11-1: AZ v FC Differdange 03 (see above) • Biggest away win 0-5: FC Differdange 03 v AZ (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AZ v FC Anji Makhachkala (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 4-0: Valencia CF v AZ (see above) 6 Athletic Club - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 10 December 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao Squad list Athletic Club Current season All-time QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Gorka Iraizoz ESP 06/03/1981 34 - - - - - 14 - 47 - 63 - 13 Iago Herrerín ESP 25/01/1988 27 - 4 - 5 - - - 7 - 11 - 26 Alejandro Remiro ESP 24/03/1995 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 42 Unai Simón ESP 11/06/1997 18 - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 2 Eneko Bóveda ESP 14/12/1988 26 - 1 - 4 - 8 - 4 - 5 - 4 Aymeric Laporte FRA 27/05/1994 21 - 3 - 5 - 11 1 9 - 19 - 6 Mikel San José ESP 30/05/1989 26 - 1 - 3 - 12 - 19 2 30 5 16 Xabier Etxeita ESP 31/10/1987 28 - 2 - 3 - 12 - 6 - 10 - 18 Carlos Gurpegi ESP 19/08/1980 35 - 3 - 3 - 5 - 23 3 38 3 24 Mikel Balenziaga ESP 29/02/1988 27 - 2 - 3 - 12 - 3 - 13 - 25 Enric Saborit ESP 27/04/1992 23 - - - - - - - - - - - 30 Iñigo Lekue ESP 04/05/1993 22 - 2 - 2 - 6 - 2 - 4 - 31 Yerai Alvarez ESP 24/01/1995 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 32 Markel Etxeberria ESP 15/02/1995 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 33 Iriondo ESP 30/01/1995 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 41 Unai Bilbao ESP 04/02/1994 21 - - - - - - - - - - - Midfielders 3 Gorka Elustondo ESP 18/03/1987 28 - 4 1 3 1 5 - 3 1 15 2 5 Javier Eraso ESP 22/03/1990 25 - 3 2 3 - 7 - 3 - 6 2 7 Beñat Etxebarria ESP 19/02/1987 28 * 4 - 3 2 14 - 5 2 16 2 8 Ander Iturraspe ESP 08/03/1989 26 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 22 - 37 - 10 Óscar de Marcos ESP 14/04/1989 26 - 4 - 3 - 14 - 27 6 47 7 14 Markel Susaeta ESP 14/12/1987 27 - 3 - 4 2 11 2 29 8 49 12 17 Mikel Rico ESP 04/11/1984 31 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 5 - 15 - 19 Iker Muniain ESP 19/12/1992 22 - - -