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Arsenal get their Champions League campaign underway as they travel to face Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday evening.
Returning from the international break, the Gunners got back to winning ways in their last outing as they thrashed Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring with a scintillating volley from the edge of the box, his first goal for the club. Viktor Gyokeres added a second from close range just after half-time before Zubimendi rounded off the scoring with a header.
Bilbao fell to defeat last time out, losing 1-0 at home to Deportivo Alavés. The Spanish side will be hoping to bounce back as they return to Europe's premier competition for the first time in over ten years.
Mikel Arteta will be keen for his side to start their European campaign with a victory as they look to build on last year's run to the semi-finals and begin their journey to a first ever Champions League win.
Here's our preview of Arsenal's test at Athletic Bilbao.
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction & Lineups
What time does Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal kick off?
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal kicks off on Tuesday 16 September at 17:45 BST.
- When is kick off? Tuesday 16 September, 2025
- What time is kick off? 17:45 BST and 18:45 CEST
- Where is it played? San Mamés Stadium
- Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal head-to-head record
Arsenal have never previously faced Athletic Bilbao in a competitive match. However, they met during their pre-season campaign, with the Gunners winning 3-0 to lift the Emirates Cup.
How to watch Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports |
United States | Paramount+, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, Amazon Prime Video, ViX, TUDN USA, UniMás |
Canada | DAZN Canada, Amazon Prime Video |
Athletic Bilbao team news
Former Arsenal target Nico Williams will not be involved as he battles an adductor injury. New signing Aymeric Laporte is also set to be absent as he is not in Athletic's Champions League squad.
Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz will be unavailable as they continue their respective fights with injury problems. They will also continue to be without defender Yeray Alvarez while he serves a doping ban. However, they could have a boost on the fitness front with the potential return of Inigo Lekue after he trained ahead of the game.
Predicted Athletic Bilbao lineup vs Arsenal: Simon; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Berchiche; Vesga, Jauregizar; I. Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Sannadi
Arsenal team news
Martin Odegaard will be absent from the Arsenal squad after suffering a shoulder injury in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. The captain was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri early on in the victory, meaning the youngster could be brought into the starting XI.
William Saliba could make his return after making an earlier comeback than expected last week. He was not included in the squad against Forest, but returned to training ahead of the game. He will likely be on the bench on Tuesday.
Ben White and Christian Norgaard may also be involved in some capacity. White was an unused substitute against Forest while Norgaard was absent despite recently returning to training.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz all remain unavailable for the Gunners.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Nottingham Forest: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Nwaneri, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal score prediction
Both sides will be looking to start their respective European campaigns with a victory and will be raring to go on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal are the far stronger side however and are in better form, having won their last game while Bilbao fell to defeat. They will be the heavy favourites heading into the tie.
Bilbao will cause problems for the Gunners, but it should be a straightforward victory for Arteta's side. Being the opening Champions League game, the win may not be pretty, but the three points will be heading back to north London.