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It might be St. James’ Park’s first visit.

On Wednesday night, Julen Izagirre will be sporting a Newcastle United scarf around his neck, in addition to sporting his favorite Athletic Club outfit.

Before the Champions League sides’ meeting, he said, “It’s so confusing for me.

“I’ve watched Newcastle at St James’ on all of the previous occasions, but this is the first time I’ve sat in the away end in a stadium where I also support the neighborhood team.”

Because of how strongly my feelings toward both clubs are, I believe I will suffer more than I will enjoy the game, I don’t know how I will feel when it’s played. Both of them should not have to lose.

The most recent competitive meeting between the clubs, which took place in 1994, was the culmination of Izagirre’s “falling in love with Newcastle” and subsequent strong bond between supporters.

Izagirre was six when Athletic fans invaded the field and applauded the away end after the team won 1-0 at San Mames, but he still felt the impact that night.

Gontzal Suances, who scored for Athletic in the first leg at St James’ before lining up for his boyhood club in the return game in Bilbao, even left a lasting impression on those who participated in the Uefa Cup second-round tie.

The emotions were reciprocal.

Although Newcastle may have been beaten out, on away goals, fan Waters, Tony still remembers this particular trip fondly because of the warm reception the traveling supporters received.

He said, “They wouldn’t let you spend anything.” I’m not making fun of myself. I followed Newcastle throughout Europe, and I returned with the same amount of money.

They graciously opened the red carpet for us, they said. You couldn’t buy a drink, they said.

After Newcastle supporters welcomed their Spanish visitors with a warm welcome, seeds were planted on Tyneside a few weeks prior.

Later, Suances learned that the fans “bonded very well there,” which resulted in Newcastle supporters being “repaid for everything they had given.”

And why they continued to do so is obvious.

Both Basques and Geordies are incredibly passionate about their respective football teams and have a strong local identity.

According to Athletic supporter Mikel Izagirre, the father of Julen, Bilbao is also a “very British city.”

The 72-year-old said, “You hear that comment all the time from different fans, different locations.”

Newcastle’s first European campaign since 1977.

It was also their first appearance since 1990’s Heysel Stadium disaster, when English clubs were prohibited from playing on the continent.

On a national holiday, there was still a respectable amount of police presence in Bilbao.

Karl Pedley, a Newcastle supporter, described the “full riot police, some of whom were armed, who were accompanied into San Mames by the fans there.”

However, he noticed how “some of them were sitting down with their helmets and pads off, and were enjoying what we were doing,” just a few minutes into the game.

Even after Newcastle were defeated 1-0, Athletic fans invaded the pitch and ran toward the away end to applaud the traveling support.

Newcastle supporters chanted “Athletic!” in response. athlete ! “Athletic” – but the issue continued to be resolved.

According to Pedley, “the police restricted us for a short while and led us down a long concrete staircase into the main road.” “This mass of red and white was all we could see at the bottom.”

They let us go after dropping us in a single file. We pondered, “Oh, here we go.” But all the Athletic fans wanted to do was give you a pat on the back, shake your hand, and take you to a bar. They appeared to be trying to “adopt a Geordie.”

“I don’t believe there was anyone wearing a shirt from Newcastle United who didn’t get watered and fed that night. They were simply appreciative of how much we had enjoyed their city.

Newcastle fans exchanged chants to teach Athletic supporters, among others, “walking in a Keegan wonderland” and “he gets the ball and scores a goal, Andy, Andy Cole.”

Red and white, which are also the colors of bitter rivals Sunderland, were even used for the swap, and this is believed to be the only occasion when a number of Newcastle supporters did so.

One of these Athletic shirts will never be forgotten by Newcastle fan Philip Long, a cherished souvenir from a memorable away day.

Jobe Bellingham could have hoped for a better start to the season with Borussia Dortmund, without a doubt.

Dortmund manager Niko Kovac gave Bellingham a spot in the starting xi for the Bundesliga opener against St Pauli in August after a promising summer campaign at the Club World Cup, where he collected a goal and an assist in four appearances.

However, Bellingham was dismissed at halftime.

After the game, Mark Bellingham, the father of Jobe and Jude Bellingham, allegedly confronted Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

In part because of Filippo Mane’s red card in the 85th minute just before the hosts scored two goals to draw the game, Dortmund had a 3-1 lead at St Pauli.

However, Bellingham Sr. felt subbing off his son so soon and watching what he thought was a rather dull game of football was enough to scuttle Kehl and indirectly criticize Kovac’s work.

Despite Kehl’s efforts to downplay the post-match incident, Dortmund’s hierarchy was unhappy with what transpired at St Pauli.

Following that, the club said that only players, coaches, and officials could enter areas like the players’ tunnel.

Meanwhile, managing director Lars Ricken claimed that the Bellingham family and the club had established a “trusting relationship” over the years and that they were anticipating their son’s arrival in the Bundesliga.

Bellingham was frequently found on the bench after the St Pauli game, despite the fact that his father’s altercation with Kehl had no bearing on his declining playing time.

In Dortmund’s second match against Union Berlin, he made his only other Bundesliga start. After 71 minutes, Felix Nmecha subbed him off.

Bellingham essentially played as a number 10 behind two strikers in his first game against St Pauli. Kovac has always preferred a three-forward formation with two center midfielders.

Which position might Dortmund’s manager think would be best for Bellingham, at this time. He frequently played alongside a more defensive-minded midfielder during his time at Sunderland last season.

Bellingham has never played on the bench for the entire 90 minutes, making nine of his 14 appearances this season in all competitions as substitutes.

In victories over Athletic Club and FC Copenhagen, he even started two Champions League games, helping two of Dortmund’s four goals.

This suggests that Dortmund, who travel to Manchester City on Wednesday, are interested in developing the 20-year-old over time.

However, Bellingham’s ability to make an impact in the final moments of a game has not been easy.

His most memorable performance thus far in the Bundesliga “Klassiker” was probably his brief appearance against Bayern Munich.

When Bellingham scored in the 73rd minute, Dortmund was one goal clear. Harry Kane delivered a long ball to Luis Diaz, who had already started a great counterattack.

Bellingham found himself in front of the goal line as the former Liverpool winger outplayed goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and passed the ball past Gregor Kobel. He unintentionally stepped on the ball in an attempt to stop it from crossing the line, giving it to Michael Olise.

The Dortmund first half of his season was embodied in Bellingham, not the main factor in the team’s second goal at Allianz Arena.

Bellingham had incredibly high expectations from the beginning and had only ever played in the Championship prior to his arrival in Dortmund.

When he joined Dortmund in 2020, Dortmund paid roughly the same transfer fee for him as they did for his brother Jude.

After only one full season with Birmingham City, Jude was deemed a generational talent at the age of 17. Jobe also spent a number of years at Birmingham and Sunderland, despite his talent. To travel to Dortmund, he required a longer runway.

Dortmund emphasized the possibility that history would repeat itself throughout the narrative.

Everyone enjoyed the three-year partnership with Jude. After a successful spell at Real Madrid, he almost immediately established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising midfielders for a record transfer fee.

After Bellingham’s performances at the Club World Cup, perhaps the younger brother’s expectations were too high in August. His rise can be accompanied by his rapid fall.

Bellingham has started to excel in the games since Bayern Munich’s defeat, despite being the only substitute in the Bundesliga.

In the German Cup, Dortmund advanced to the next round after he played 120 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt, who had already qualified for the penalty shootout.

Even his late-range effort against Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday was not unmistakable. With a 1-0 lead, Dortmund and Bellingham made sure to deny a few of Augsburg’s offensive attempts.

After Friday’s game, Kovac said, “I believe things go faster than I could have imagined. The lad has a lot of quality.”

Bellingham has a good chance of starting regularly in Dortmund’s central midfield with time.

As a playmaker, Sabitzer has not ignited the imagination. And Gross is 34 and cannot play full force every game, which is respected and reliable, as Brighton fans can attest.