Trabzonspor did remarkably well to hold on to a goalless draw at San Mames considering that they had had Burak Yilmaz sent off after just six minutes, meaning the Turks are now favourites to go through.

Senol Gunes’ squad have suffered major changes this summer as key players Umut Bulut, Jaja Coelho, Selcuk Inan and Hrvoje Cale all left, but the club management did bring some very good replacements.

Halil Altintop, Paulo Henrique, Didier Zokora, Adrian Mierzejewski and Ondrej Celustka have really improved the quality of the squad, so Trabzonspor remain one of the strongest Turkish sides at the moment.

Following the elimination from Champions League at the hands of Benfica, Trabzonspor held on to a goalless draw in Bilbao despite the fact they played big part of the game with ten men on the pitch, thus I was really surprised to see that Unibet pays no less than 2.90 (19/10) on home win.

There are no doubts that we will see some enforced changes in the team that started the first game since Didier Zokora and Adrian Mierzejewski return from suspension, but now Burak Yilmaz and Gustavo Colman are banned.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Zengin – Yumlu, Kacar, Glowacki, Celustka – Alanzinho, Zokora, Balci, Altintop – Mierzejewski, Henrique.

Athletic Bilbao produced quite a coup by finishing last La Liga campaign in 6th place, especially considering that the club only feature players of Basque origin.

That didn’t prevent Joaquin Caparros from leading the team to unimagined heights, with the 6th-place finish in La Liga something that the fans will remember for years to come.

The experienced tactician left the club in off season, but then club management somehow managed to lure Marcelo Bielsa to the Cathedral, hinting that they are ready for a new chapter in club’s history.

The team looked really well in pre-season, but they failed to meet the expectations in the first competitive game and now face a difficult task before the match in Turkey.

However, one shouldn’t underestimate the tactical genius of Marcelo Bielsa as well as the quality and togetherness that this team have in abundance, and that is the reason why Stan James pays just 1.62 (8/13) on los Leones to go through.

Andoni Iraola returns to the fold after recovering from a muscle injury he sustained while on international duty and the Spain international is set to start on the right hand side.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Iraizoz – Iraola, San Jose, Amorebieta, De Marcos – Herrera, Martinez, Gurpegui – Munian, Llorente, Gabilondo.