Arsenal's 2025-26 Champions League campaign kicks off in the north of Spain this week as they lock horns with Athletic Bilbao.
- Date: 16/09/2025
- Kick-off: 5:45pm
- Location: San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao come into this game with three wins and one defeat from four games in La Liga. The Spanish side claimed wins over Sevilla (3-2), Rayo Vallecano (1-0) and Real Betis (2-1), before losing 0-1 to Alaves last weekend.
Athletic finished 4th in La Liga last season and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they were hammered 7-1 by Manchester United over two legs. Over the summer, the club retained the services of the in-demand Nico Williams, while also bringing centre-back Aymeric Laporte back to the club, so the team remains a similar level to last season's.
Athletic took on Arsenal in pre-season, losing 3-0 in the final of the Emirates Cup. Their games do tend to be entertaining, with three of their last five in La Liga seeing over 2.5 goals scored, so that should bode well for an entertaining encounter on Tuesday night.
Arsenal come into this game having started strongly in the Premier League, with three wins and one loss. The Gunners began with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford before beating Leeds (5-0), losing to Liverpool (1-0) and beating Nottingham Forest (3-0).
Although they took some criticism for their performance at Anfield, Arsenal have looked good so far this season and despite injuries to the likes of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, some of the team's new faces are showing positive signs. Noni Madueke has made an excellent start to his Arsenal career while Viktor Gyokeres has three goals in his last three outings. Arsenal's added depth should give them a new dimension this season, and the team is well placed to challenge on all fronts.
The Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by eventual winners PSG last season and will be keen to go at least one step further this time around. Mikel Arteta's side were excellent in the Champions League away from home last season and have won four of their last five European games on the road, scoring 16 and conceding just four.
Given how easily Manchester United dispatched of Athletic Bilbao last season, we think they'll struggle to handle the physical level of this Arsenal side and will fall to a fairly resounding loss.
Athletic Bilbao 1-3 Arsenal
