Kepa Arrizabalaga will return to Athletic Club’s San Mames stadium when the Basque Country representative team faces Venezuela in a friendly on Saturday, November 14. The Arsenal goalkeeper, once a record-breaking signing from Bilbao, is included in Osasuna manager Jagoba Arrasate’s 22-man squad for the match in Bilbao.
Arrizabalaga, who moved from Athletic Club to Chelsea in 2018 for €80 million, still the highest transfer fee paid for a goalkeeper, now serves as backup to David Raya at Arsenal. His inclusion in the Euskal Selekzioa squad offers a rare chance for him to play in front of a familiar crowd before returning to his duties in north London.
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Kepa Arrizabalaga
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The Basque team’s selection includes a mix of players based in Spain and abroad. Alongside Arrizabalaga, Udinese forward Unai Gomez and Bolton Wanderers attacker Gaizka Larrazabal join the squad from outside Spain. Domestic players come mainly from Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Osasuna, and Deportivo Alaves, with Osasuna’s Aitor Fernandez also competing for the goalkeeper position.
Defensive options include Athletic’s Dani Vivian, Hugo Rincon, and Johaneko Louis-Jean, Sociedad’s Jon Pacheco, Igor Zubeldia, and Aihen Munoz, Osasuna’s Inigo Arguibide, and Malaga’s Einar Galilea. Midfielders are drawn from Athletic, Sociedad, Alaves, Osasuna, and Sevilla, featuring names like Mikel Jauregizar, Benat Turrientes, Pablo Ibanez, Ander Guevara, Asier Osambela, and Jon Guridi. The attacking line-up includes Athletic’s Oihan Sancet, Osasuna’s Kike Barja, and Racing Santander duo Inigo Vicente and Asier Villalibre.
The fixture carries historical weight, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the first autonomous Basque Government formed in 1936 under President Jose Antonio Aguirre. Aguirre later created the Euzkadi team in 1937 to tour Europe and the Americas amid the Spanish Civil War. Venezuela shares a unique connection with the Basque region after welcoming thousands of political exiles fleeing Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
This friendly is the Basque team’s first since beating Palestine 3-0 in November last year before a record crowd of 51,396. It also offers a chance to maintain their flawless record against Venezuela. Euskal Selekzioa has never lost to the South Americans in three previous meetings: a 4-3 away win in San Cristobal in 2007, a 3-1 victory at the old San Mames in 2010, and a 4-2 win at Mendizorrotza in 2018.
For Arrizabalaga, the match presents an emotional return to his roots. After a series of loans, including spells at Real Madrid and Bournemouth, this opportunity to play at San Mames comes as a moment of personal significance. His role at Arsenal remains as a backup, but the Basque friendly offers him a chance to reconnect with the supporters and the stadium where his professional journey began.
The Basque Football Federation president Xabier Goni organised the fixture, emphasising its cultural importance. The match will take place on November 14 in Bilbao, with Arrizabalaga among the marquee names selected by Jagoba Arrasate. The Basque team will look to continue their unbeaten record against Venezuela on home soil.
According to Yahoo Sports.
