The 2025-26 Champions League group stage gets underway with Athletic Bilbao hosting Arsenal at the San Mames Stadium on Tuesday 16th September at 5:45pm (UK time). Arsenal were beaten semi-finalists last season, while Athletic Bilbao are back in the Champions League for the first time in 11 years. This game will be broadcast in the UK on TNT Sports 1.
Arsenal to win to nil (9/4 with Betway)
Arsenal won four of their seven away games in the Champions League last season. That includes two wins in Spain, against Girona and Real Madrid. Mikel Arteta’s men kept five clean sheets in their eight games in the League Phase and in the Premier League this season, they have started well with three wins from their first four.
The only blemish on that record was a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool thanks to a stunning Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick and they can make a winning start to their Champions League campaign on Tuesday. The Gunners have won three times to nil in their opening four Premier League games this season and at 9/4 they make plenty of appeal here for another. It’s also worth noting that Athletic Club lost 3-0 at home to Man United in the Europa League semi-finals last season, and were beaten 4-1 at Old Trafford.
Viktor Gyokeres to score first (9/2 with Betway)
Viktor Gyokeres scored six goals in eight Champions League games for Sporting CP last season and has started to settle into his new home in North London. The Swedish striker got on the scoresheet against Nottingham Forest at the weekend in a game where he let off four shots in the 67 minutes he was on the pitch. At 9/2, he’s worth taking a punt on, to open the scoring on Tuesday.
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How both teams go into Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal
It’s been a long wait for Athletic Bilbao to return to the Champions League. The Basque club last dined at Europe’s top table in 2014-15, when they bowed out at the group stage. That was followed by three successive runs to the Europa League knockout stages. But they then had to suffer six seasons without continental football. Athletic returned last season with a run to the Europa League semi-finals, losing to Manchester United. But now they’re back where they want to be.
Arsenal are now in their third successive season back in the Champions League, after a six-year absence. And they’ve gone deep both times. The Gunners reached the quarter-finals in 2023-24, and went one further to the semi-finals last season. But they suffered heartbreak against eventually champions Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal will now be hoping to continue their progress and reach the final in their quest to finally win the Champions League.
Athletic Bilbao team news
Athletic will be without Nico Williams, sidelined by an adductor injury, while Aymeric Laporte has not been named in Valverde’s Champions League squad. Long-term absentees Benat Prados (knee) and Unai Egiluz (ACL) remain unavailable, Yeray Álvarez continues his doping ban, and there are fresh doubts over Iñigo Lekue (adductor).
Arsenal team news
Arsenal face an anxious wait on Martin Odegaard’s availability for Tuesday, with William Saliba (ankle) and Christian Norgaard (knock) also doubtful. However, Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (knee) have already been ruled out and will not feature.
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal head-to-head
This will be the first competitive meeting between Athletic Bilbao and Arsenal.