3 talking points ahead of Athletic Bilbao v Arsenal Champions League clash

Arsenal travel to the Basque country to face Athletic Bilbao for the first time ever in a competitive match tonight. The Gunners will be hoping to get off to a great start to the League phase as they try to go two steps further than last season and lift the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history.

Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that his team face a far sterner examination than when the two sides met in the final pre-season friendly at the Emirates. The Gunners ran out easy 3-0 winners in a match which saw Viktor Gyökeres score his first for the club.

For this reason, Arteta is likely to go strong with his starting lineup despite having one eye on Sunday's home match against title rivals Manchester City.

1. Ethan Nwaneri must step up

If Ethan Nwaneri is trusted in place of Martin Odegaard tonight it would be a massive statement from Arteta to the young Englishman. On the other hand, if Nwaneri is overlooked, it sends a completely different message that he is not quite ready to step up in the biggest games.

Over the summer, the club justifiably handed Nwaneri a well-earned new contract amid some reported interest from elsewhere. Nwaneri was unambiguous in his desire to stay at Arsenal and fight for the central attacking position currently in Odegaard's possession.

Nwaneri's opportunity to get hold of the shirt and keep it has come surprisingly early in the season due to Odegaard's nagging shoulder injury which he first sustained against Leeds United and aggravated against Nottingham Forest.

Arteta has several options, any one of which could reduce Nwaneri's chances of playing tonight. First, he could opt to play Declan Rice in a more advanced role which has the benefit of some added defensive stability; an advantage away from home.

Second, Arteta could play Eberechi Eze more centrally tonight and re-introduce either Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli on the left.