Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal prediction and odds ahead of Champions League clash

Arsenal and Athletic Bilbao are set to face each other in competitive action for the first time as they open their 2025-26 Champions League league phase campaigns on Tuesday at San Mames Stadium. The Gunners have been steadily rising in European football since their return to the top tier, while Athletic are making just their third appearance in the Champions League proper.

Arsenal’s long wait for European silverware continues, with their last continental trophy being the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. However, under Mikel Arteta, optimism is high that the North London club can finally challenge for Champions League honours. After ending a seven-year absence from the competition, Arteta guided Arsenal to the quarter-finals in 2024 and the semi-finals in 2025, where they gave eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain a tougher test than Inter Milan managed in the final.

With a £250 million summer investment bolstering their squad, Arsenal have set their sights on both Premier League and Champions League glory this season, having already picked up nine points from their first four league games. Despite missing key players like Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Kai Havertz, and losing Martin Odegaard to a shoulder injury, Arteta’s side eased to a 3-0 victory over Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Martin Zubimendi scoring twice and Viktor Gyokeres adding his third goal in four matches.

Arsenal now stand on the brink of a notable European milestone: victory in Bilbao would make them the first team to defeat Spanish opposition six times in a row in the European Cup/Champions League, following wins over Real Madrid (twice), Sevilla (twice), and Girona since 2023.

While Arsenal reached the Champions League semi-finals for only the third time in their history last season, Athletic Bilbao are competing in Europe’s top competition for just the third time since its rebranding in 1992. Ernesto Valverde’s men finished fourth in La Liga last season—behind only Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid—amassing 70 points and edging out Villarreal on head-to-head record.

Athletic’s previous Champions League campaigns in 2014-15 and 1998-99 both ended at the group stage, but after a heavy 7-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester United in last year’s Europa League semi-finals, the eight-time La Liga champions are keen to make a stronger impression this time. However, the international break may have halted their early momentum; after starting the 2025-26 La Liga season with three straight wins over Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Betis, they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Alaves on Saturday due to an unfortunate Alex Berenguer own goal.

Tuesday’s clash marks the first official meeting between Arsenal and Athletic, although the two sides did meet in this year’s Emirates Cup in North London, where Arsenal comfortably claimed a 3-0 win to retain the friendly trophy.

Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal Betting Tips

• Viktor Gyokeres to score anytime - 13/8
• Arsenal to win and both teams to score - 3/1

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