Champions League: Athletic Bilbao Vs Arsenal, The Gunners Spread Asa Rebut Double Title

Arsenal are able to perform brilliantly in the domestic league (photo: x @Arsenal)

JAKARTA - Athletic Bilbao and Arsenal will meet for the first time in a competitive event when they open the 2025-26 Champions League league phase at the San Mates Stadium, Tuesday 16 September.

Arsenal came in semifinalist status last season and have continued to grow since returning to the Champions League, while Bilbao has only appeared in elite European competitions for the third time since modern formats were introduced.

The curse of Arsenal in Europe continues to overshadow them the last trophy they won was the 1994 UEFA Cup of Winners but there is strong belief that Mikel Arteta has brought his team to a new golden age.

After ending a seven-year wait to return to the Champions League, Arsenal advanced to the quarter-finals in 2024 and semi-finals in 2025, where they put up a fierce fight against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. This season, with a 250 million investment in the transfer market, the Gunners are targeting multiple ambitions: Premier League titles as well as Champions League titles. They collected nine points from the first four matches in the domestic league.

Even without Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Kai Havertz, Arsenal still impressed last weekend when they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0. Martin Zubimendi scored two goals, while Viktor Gyokeres added one goal, to his third goal from four matches.

Victory over Bilbao will make history: Arsenal will be the first team to win six consecutive times against Spanish clubs in the Champions League, having previously beaten Real Madrid (twice), Sevilla (twice), and Girona since 2023.

For Athletic Bilbao, this is an opportunity to improve their record in the Champions League. Last season, they finished fourth in La Liga with 70 points, losing only to Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid. However, their preparations were disrupted by the international break: after winning over Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Betis, they actually lost 0-1 at home to Alaves due to Alex Berenguer's own goal.

This meeting will be a big test forpany Valverde's troops. Even though they lost at the Emirates Cup pre-season with a score of 0-3, the official match at San Mames was certainly different, especially with the full support of Basque supporters.

Arsenal are anxiously awaiting news of Martin Odegaard's shoulder injury again against Forest, just two weeks after recovering from a similar injury. Saliba (article) and Christian Norgaard (light injury) are also in doubt of appearing, while Saka, Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus are ruled out. With the match against Manchester City already waiting at the weekend, Arteta may rotate, especially at the back.

In the Bilbao camp, Nico Williams was ruled out due to a groin injury, while Aymeric Laporte was not registered for the Champions League group stage. Benat Prados (lutut) and Unai Egiluz (ACL) are also still injured, while Yeray Alvarez underwent a ban on playing due to doping cases.

Captain Inaki Williams will lead the attack on the right, supported by playmaker Oihan Sancet and talented young midfielder Mikel Jauregizar.

Arsenal are in a positive trend and have an impressive record against the Spanish club. However, San Mames is one of the most haunted stadiums in Spain, and Bilbao will play with great motivation. The match is predicted to be fierce with Arsenal being slightly outperformed thanks to the midfield quality and the depth of the squad.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

Athletic Bilbao (4-2-3-1)Simon; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Berchiche; Vesga, Jauregizar; I. Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Sannadi

Arsenal (4-3-3)Raya; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Merino, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Score Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Arsenal