Injury-Hit Arsenal Begin Champions League Campaign at Familiar Grounds for Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will hope that their many injuries do not affect their quest for a winning start in the Champions League in Bilbao.

Champions League action resumes with an intriguing encounter as Athletic Bilbao welcomes Arsenal to the iconic San Mames Stadium on Tuesday September 16.

The injury-hit Gunners will miss key players in Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz, while Athletic cannot count on Nico Williams for this crucial European night.

This first-round fixture, scheduled to kick off at 19:45 (East African time), will be officiated by Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas. Both teams enter the competition with high expectations, as the Basque side aims to make their mark in Europe's elite tournament while Arsenal look to build on their recent European campaigns and establish themselves as serious contenders.

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For Athletic, a strong start at home could set the tone for their European campaign, potentially giving them momentum to challenge for knockout stage qualification. Arsenal, with their Premier League pedigree, will be looking to secure an away victory that would immediately position them favorably in the group standings and build confidence for the challenging fixtures ahead.

Athletic enters this Champions League fixture with mixed recent form, having won three and lost two of their last five matches.

The Basque side suffered consecutive defeats in their most recent outings, falling to Deportivo Alaves (0:1 on September 13, 2025) in LaLiga and Osasuna (0:1 on September 4, 2025) in a friendly. Prior to these setbacks, Athletic had enjoyed a three-game winning streak, defeating Real Betis (1:2 on August 31, 2025), Rayo Vallecano (1:0 on August 25, 2025), and Sevilla (3:2 on August 17, 2025) in LaLiga.

Arsenal, meanwhile, has won three of their last four Premier League matches, most recently dispatching Nottingham Forest (3:0 on September 13, 2025). Their only defeat came against Liverpool (1:0 on August 31, 2025), while they recorded impressive victories against Leeds United (5:0 on August 23, 2025) and Manchester United (0:1 on August 17, 2025).

Athletic Bilbao will be missing key midfielder Benat Prados and star winger Nico Williams through injury, while defender Inigo Lekue remains doubtful for the clash. Coach Ernesto Valverde is expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with Unai Simon in goal and the experienced Inaki Williams leading the attack.

Arsenal, managed by former Athletic player Mikel Arteta, faces significant injury concerns with Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz all ruled out. Additionally, defensive stalwarts William Saliba and Ben White, along with midfielder Christian Noergaard, are doubtful.

The Gunners are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation featuring recent Spanish signings Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi in midfield, with Viktor Gyoekeres expected to lead the forward line.