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1997–98 Athletic Bilbao season

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Athletic Bilbao
1997–98 season
Squad photograph, August 1997
PresidentJosé María Arrate
Head coachLuis Fernández
StadiumSan Mamés
La Liga2nd
Copa del ReyQuarterfinals
UEFA Cup2nd round
Top goalscorerLeague: Joseba Etxeberria, 11[1]
All: Joseba Etxeberria, 13

The 1997–98 season was the 97th season in Athletic Bilbao's history and their 67th consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football.

Season summary

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The previous season, Luis Fernández's first as head coach, was a successful one for Athletic, as their 6th-place finish in La Liga gained them a place in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup first round after a two-year exile from European competition.[2] The Frenchman's second La Liga campaign yielded even greater success: Bilbao finished as runners-up, behind only Barcelona, and qualified for the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League.[3] This was their highest league finish, and first qualification for Europe's premier competition, since their last La Liga triumph in 1984.

They also had a good run in the Copa del Rey, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 1994–95. They were eliminated on away goals by eventual runners-up Mallorca.[4]

Athletic's UEFA Cup first round opponents were Sampdoria of Italy. The Spaniards took a valuable 2–1 win in the first leg in Genoa,[5] and secured passage to the second round with a 2–0 victory at San Mamés.[6] Their reward was a second round tie against Aston Villa of England, with the first leg in Bilbao finishing goalless.[7] The Birmingham side took a 2–0 lead just after half time at Villa Park, and a late goal from Javi González was not enough to prevent Athletic's elimination.[8]

Squad statistics

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Appearances and goals

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[1][9][10][11][12]

No. Pos Nat Player Total La Liga Copa del Rey UEFA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Spain ESP Juan José Valencia 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
4 DF Spain ESP Rafael Alkorta 34 1 29 1 3 0 2 0
5 DF Spain ESP Óscar Tabuenka[1] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 MF Spain ESP Josu Urrutia 38 0 29+1 0 3+1 0 4 0
7 MF Spain ESP Andoni Goikoetxea 2 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0
8 MF Spain ESP Julen Guerrero 33 8 25+4 8 3 0 0+1 0
9 FW Spain ESP Cuco Ziganda 41 5 19+16 3 2+1 1 3 1
10 DF Spain ESP Aitor Larrazábal 40 8 28+4 7 2+2 0 3+1 1
11 DF Spain ESP Jesús María Lacruz 19 0 7+10 0 1+1 0 0 0
12 DF Spain ESP Carlos García 41 2 33+1 2 4 0 3 0
13 GK Spain ESP Imanol Etxeberria 42 0 38 0 0 0 4 0
14 MF Spain ESP José Mari 16 0 3+10 0 1+2 0 0 0
15 DF Spain ESP Patxi Ferreira 19 0 9+7 0 2 0 1 0
16 MF Spain ESP Txomin Nagore 21 0 11+6 0 1+1 0 2 0
17 FW Spain ESP Joseba Etxeberria 43 12 35+1 11 3+1 1 3 0
18 MF Spain ESP Bittor Alkiza 44 2 36+1 1 3 1 4 0
19 DF Spain ESP Mikel Lasa 35 1 17+11 1 3 0 3+1 0
20 FW Spain ESP Ismael Urzaiz 38 10 23+9 8 2+1 2 2+1 0
21 DF Spain ESP Iñigo Larrainzar 41 3 34 2 2+1 0 4 1
22 MF Spain ESP Javi González 37 6 8+22 5 2+1 0 2+2 1
24 DF Spain ESP Roberto Ríos 39 3 31+1 2 3 0 4 1
25 FW Spain ESP Aitor Huegún 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
26 GK Spain ESP Iñaki Lafuente 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 DF Spain ESP César 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
28 FW Spain ESP Mario Bermejo 3 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+2 0
31 MF Spain ESP Gaizka Garitano 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 MF Spain ESP Jorge Pérez 7 0 3+4 0 0 0 0 0
MF Spain ESP Raúl Gil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1.^ Tabuenka was transferred to SD Compostela during the season.[10]

Results

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La Liga

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League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Barcelona (C) 38 23 5 10 78 56 +22 74 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Athletic Bilbao 38 17 14 7 52 42 +10 65 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Real Sociedad 38 16 15 7 60 37 +23 63[a] Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Real Madrid 38 17 12 9 63 45 +18 63[a] Qualification for the Champions League group stage[b]
5 Mallorca 38 16 12 10 55 39 +16 60[c] Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[d]
Source: LFP
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ a b RMA 2–0 RSO; RSO 4–2 RMA
  2. ^ Real Madrid was qualified directly for the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League as holders.
  3. ^ MLL: 9 pts; CEL: 5 pts; ATM: 2 pts
  4. ^ Since Barcelona, winners of 1997–98 Copa del Rey, was qualified for the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, losing cup finalists RCD Mallorca earned a spot in the first round of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

UEFA Cup

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First round

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16 September 1997 Sampdoria Italy 1–2 Spain Athletic Bilbao Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
20:30 Boghossian 74' Report Ríos 19'
Larrainzar 62'
Attendance: 36,000
Referee: Ahmet Çakar (Turkey)
30 September 1997 Athletic Bilbao Spain 2–0 Italy Sampdoria San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
20:30 Larrazábal 40' (pen.)
Ziganda 47'
Report Attendance: 42,000
Referee: Marc Batta (France)

Athletic Bilbao won 4–1 on aggregate

Second round

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21 October 1997 Athletic Bilbao Spain 0–0 England Aston Villa San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
21:30 Report Attendance: 42,500
Referee: Hartmut Strampe (Germany)
4 November 1997 Aston Villa England 2–1 Spain Athletic Bilbao Villa Park, Birmingham
20:30 Taylor 27'
Yorke 50'
Report González 70' Attendance: 35,915
Referee: S. Piller (Hungary)

Aston Villa won 2–1 on aggregate

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Athletic Bilbao » Appearances Primera División 1997/1998". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  2. ^ "LaLiga 1996/1997 Table, Results, Fixtures – (Football/Spain)". flashscore.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  3. ^ "LaLiga 1997/1998 Table, Results, Fixtures – (Football/Spain)". flashscore.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Fiesta en Palma" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Sampdoria-Athletic Club 1997 History". UEFA Europa League. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Athletic Club-Sampdoria 1997 History". UEFA Europa League. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Athletic Club-Aston Villa 1997 History". UEFA Europa League. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Aston Villa-Athletic Club 1997 History". UEFA Europa League. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Athletic Bilbao » Squad 1997/1998". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Athletic Bilbao - 1997/98". FootballSquads. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Athletic Bilbao » Appearances Copa del Rey 1997/1998". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Athletic Bilbao » Appearances Europa League 1997/1998". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 November 2020.