Prediction: Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Arsenal and Athletic Bilbao prepare for a historic meeting on Tuesday night, as the two sides face off in competitive action for the very first time at San Mames in their opening Champions League league phase fixture of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Gunners have continued to rise in stature on the European stage since their return to the continent’s premier competition, while Athletic enter only their third-ever season in the Champions League, eager to make their mark against one of the tournament’s modern heavyweights.

Athletic Bilbao

Arsenal enter Tuesday’s clash on the back of last season’s impressive Champions League run, where they reached the semifinals for only the third time in their history. Their opponents, Athletic Bilbao, are embarking on just their third venture into the competition since its rebranding in 1992, having returned to Europe’s top stage after a superb domestic campaign.

Ernesto Valverde’s side finished fourth in La Liga with 70 points, bettered only by Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and edged Villarreal into fifth on head-to-head. Despite being crowned Spanish champions eight times, Athletic’s past Champions League outings in 1998-99 and 2014-15 both ended at the group stage, and last year’s 7-1 Europa League semi-final humbling by Manchester United has left them eager to prove their worth on a grander stage.

Momentum was on their side early this season thanks to three straight league wins over Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis, but the international break appeared to halt their rhythm. A surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Alaves – settled by an Alex Berenguer own goal – cut short their perfect start.

Now preparing for their first-ever competitive showdown with Arsenal, Athletic will be keen to show more fight than they managed in preseason, when Mikel Arteta’s men eased to a 3-0 win over the Basques in the Emirates Cup without needing to hit top gear.

Team News

Athletic Bilbao head into Tuesday’s clash missing several key names, most notably former Arsenal target Nico Williams, who is sidelined with an adductor injury. The Basques will also be without ex-Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, who has been omitted from Valverde’s squad for the Champions League league phase.

Injury troubles extend further, with Benat Prados (knee) and Unai Egiluz (ACL) unavailable, while experienced centre-back Yeray Alvarez continues to serve a lengthy doping ban. There are also doubts over the fitness of Inigo Lekue, who is struggling with an adductor problem.

Even so, Athletic still boast dangerous attacking outlets. While Nico is absent, his brother Inaki Williams is fit and set to lead the charge down the right flank, providing pace and power in wide areas. Behind him, Oihan Sancet and Mikel Jauregizar – two of the most highly-rated young talents in Valverde’s squad – will look to dictate play through the middle and link with their captain in what could be a testing evening for Arsenal’s back line.

Arsenal

Arsenal’s long wait for European glory still hangs over the club, their last continental crown coming in the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Yet under Mikel Arteta, belief is growing that the Gunners are once again serious challengers for Champions League supremacy.

After bringing an end to their seven-year absence from Europe’s top table, Arteta steered Arsenal to the quarter-finals in 2024 and then the semi-finals in 2025, where they offered far sterner resistance to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain than Inter Milan managed in the final itself.

Backed by a £250m summer recruitment drive, Arsenal now set out with genuine hopes of pursuing both Premier League and Champions League titles, having collected nine points from their opening four domestic fixtures. Even with Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Kai Havertz already sidelined, Arteta’s charges dispatched Nottingham Forest with ease on Saturday, a Martin Zubimendi brace and Viktor Gyökeres’s fourth goal in as many matches sealing a comfortable 3-0 win.

That result leaves the North Londoners on the verge of an unprecedented European achievement: victory in Bilbao would make them the first team in European Cup/Champions League history to defeat Spanish opposition in six successive encounters, having already overcome Real Madrid (twice), Sevilla (twice) and Girona.

Team News

However, Martin Odegaard sustained a second shoulder injury in the space of three matches, with Arteta confirming it is the same problem that forced him off against Leeds last month. The Norwegian joins a growing list of concerns, as fans anxiously await updates on his fitness alongside that of Saliba (ankle) and Christian Nørgaard (knock). What is certain is that Saka (hamstring), Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (knee) will be unavailable.

With a crunch clash against Manchester City looming, Arteta may be pragmatic in his selection. Given his squad depth, particularly at the back, a degree of rotation is expected.

Conclusion

Any defensive reshuffle from Arsenal may slightly diminish their renowned solidity at the back, but an Athletic side deprived of Nico Williams are unlikely to fully exploit such weaknesses.

Even in the absence of Odegaard and Saka, Arteta still has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal, and it is difficult to foresee anything other than the visitors beginning their Champions League journey with a statement victory.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: Olympusbet