Arsenal arrive at San Mames for a night that blends history, noise, and a serious test of nerve. Athletic Club waited eleven seasons for this stage to come back to Bilbao. The crowd will make the players feel every step of the walk from tunnel to pitch. Mikel Arteta brings a team that looked sharp on Saturday, a group with clear patterns and the kind of depth that matters in Europe. The aim is simple: start strong, control the tempo, and keep the San Mames crowd from driving Athletic forward.
This meeting is new in competitive terms. The clubs only crossed paths in preseason, when Arsenal won the Emirates Cup 3-0 through Gyokeres, Saka, and Havertz. A friendly does not forecast everything. It did show a few traits that remain relevant. Arsenal managed territory and crossings to the far post. Athletic pushed hard down the right under pressure from the fullback’s overlap. That script will be familiar at San Mames, only faster and more committed.
### Head-to-head and context
There is no European history between these teams. Arsenal’s broader recent record against Spanish opposition shows a confident pattern. Wins away to Girona and Real Madrid last season set a tone. The group carried a clean structure and did not panic under late pressure. That matters in Bilbao, where the game often bends on second balls and quick restarts.
Ernesto Valverde has built Athletic on effort, clarity, and a direct route to goal once space opens. The league finish last season and a Europa League run underline that this is not a soft touch at home. Arsenal arrive as one of the tournament’s sharper sides in the league phase across the last two years. That clash of styles should produce a tight match with long stretches decided by field position and set plays.
### Current form and momentum
Athletic opened La Liga with three wins from four before a 0-1 slip against Alaves at the weekend. Their edge at San Mames remains real. Pressure from the stands feeds a pressing game that wins the ball high and breaks toward the corners with purpose. The absence of Nico Williams against Alaves took pace off the left flank. Without that outlet, Oihan Sancet had to carry more of the creative load and Alex Berenguer popped up in pockets to keep the attacks moving.
Arsenal needed a clean reset after the break and delivered it with a 3-0 against Nottingham Forest. The timing of the press made sense again. Passing lanes re-opened, the fullbacks stepped into midfield lanes, and the front three rotated sensibly. That win allowed Arteta to manage minutes. A long month sits ahead, including Manchester City at the weekend, so control without chaos is the only way through.
### Tactical outlook
Valverde’s team usually line up in a 4-2-3-1 that can tighten into a 4-4-2 when they fall back. The double pivot guards the middle, the wingers hold wide positions, and the fullbacks race beyond the line to deliver from deep angles. The first press is honest and bold. If the starting trap gets played through, they settle into a mid-block that protects the box. Attacks build through fast switches, third-man runs from Sancet, and early balls into Guruzeta. The right side is a frequent release valve. Jesus Areso overlaps with energy, which forces constant decisions for the opposing left back and left-sided midfielder. Corners and wide free kicks give them a steady shot stream, and second balls are a point of pride.
Arsenal’s 4-3-3 brings calm in build-up and edge in the counter-press. Timber at right back gives inside runs and progressive passing. Calafiori at left back gives line-breaking diagonals and patience under pressure. Gabriel handles the duels and organizes the defensive line. If William Saliba makes it, the pair becomes one of the most reliable central tandems in the competition. If he does not, Cristhian Mosquera has shown poise and range in recovery.
The midfield triangle fits the assignment for this away leg. Declan Rice sets the height of the press and erases counters before they reach the box. Martin Zubimendi keeps possession flowing and arrives late around the D for second-phase shots. Mikel Merino supplies timing in the box, a big frame at set plays, and comfort against La Liga rhythms.
Up front, Viktor Gyokeres pins center-backs, attacks the near post, and triggers the press on back passes to Unai Simon. Noni Madueke stretches the right touchline and goes after his marker in isolation. The left wing choice shapes the feel of the match. Eberechi Eze gives craft in tight lanes and early service from half-spaces. Gabriel Martinelli gives pure depth and back-post raids. Both options make sense against an Athletic side that can get pulled to the ball and lose the far stick.
Several areas are likely to decide the flow of the match. The corridor on Athletic’s right meets Arsenal’s left. Areso bombards that lane; Calafiori must read the overlapping run and pass the runner cleanly to his midfielder. Second balls around Sancet decide territory. Win those and you pin Athletic back. Lose them and the crowd takes flight. In the box, Gyokeres against Paredes and Vivian is a trench fight that can shift lines. If he drags a center-back wide, Merino or Zubimendi can arrive in the seam for a first-time shot.
Set plays bring their own game. Athletic generate volume from corners and wide free kicks and often spring a runner off a near-post block. Arsenal’s aerial group with Gabriel and Merino needs the first contact. On the other end, Arsenal’s delivery from the right can test that near zone and draw a spill. This phase of play may carry as much weight as anything in open play.
### Players to watch
Sancet is the glue for Athletic. He receives on the half-turn between the lines and slides the first pass that triggers a shot. Inaki Williams gives depth and early crosses even without his brother on the opposite flank. Areso’s overlaps can rack up crossing volume if untracked. Unai Simon can turn pressure into long kicks that reset the field, and he saves in big moments.
For Arsenal, Rice sets the tone and temperature. Win or draw nights in Spain often look like his performances: smart fouls in safe zones, fast restarts, and short passing sequences that take the sting out of surges from the stands. Zubimendi gives control under heat and late movement around the edge of the area. Madueke can turn a one-on-one into a chance without much support. Gyokeres owns the near-post run and the first press on the keeper. David Raya’s handling on crosses and quick throws can flip pressure into a transition chance in two touches.
### Team news
Athletic head into this without Nico Williams. Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz remain long-term absentees. Yeray Alvarez serves a UEFA ban. Aymeric Laporte is back at the club yet not registered for this phase.
Arsenal remain without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus. Ben White is being managed after a minor issue. William Saliba returned to training and could be part of the squad. Christian Norgaard is close after a knock.
The injuries on both sides shape the dynamics of the contest. Athletic lose their best 1v1 winger and a large share of their ball-carrying threat on the left. Arsenal lose their captain’s cadence and Saka’s gravity, yet the structure and roles stay clear. The group that faced Forest showed that the left side can create service early and often. The absence list makes the benches important if the match drifts.
### Numbers that shape the night
San Mames remains a stronghold in Europe. Athletic have taken fourteen wins from their last eighteen European home matches. The Europa League run last season fed that record, even with the heavy semi-final setback against Manchester United. Arsenal’s league-phase record in the Champions League across the last two seasons stands on the right side of consistency. Sixteen wins in twenty-two, with a low goals-against rate, mark a side that handles the group grind. Seven clean sheets in the last eleven league-phase matches show a defensive base that travels.
Valverde’s log in this competition reads as a manager who lowers risk and keeps margins tight: twenty-three wins, ten draws, nine losses. Arsenal under Arteta have conceded eighteen goals in twenty-four Champions League matches. That rate sits among elite company over sample sizes that matter. Viktor Gyokeres brings six Champions League goals from Sporting last season and a knack for turning half-chances into clear shots inside the box.
### Predicted lineups
Athletic: Simon; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; De Galarreta, Jauregizar; Inaki Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta.
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba or Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze or Martinelli.
Arteta can push Eze inside at times to create a box with Merino arriving and Zubimendi holding, then release Calafiori high to sling crosses at the far stick. If the game turns into a race, Martinelli changes the geometry with runs beyond the last line.
### What Arsenal need to do
Start with a high, clean press and take away the pass into De Galarreta. Force Simon to kick long and fight for the first and second contacts. Keep the far post live from right-sided delivery. Win the first header on defensive corners and track the free runner across the penalty spot. Manage the atmosphere by avoiding cheap turnovers in your own half and needless free kicks near the touchline. When a lead appears, make calm substitutions that fit the game: Trossard to keep possession, Martinelli to add depth.
### Prediction
San Mames tests structure and courage. Athletic will attack through emotion, overlaps, and restarts. Arsenal bring control, a strong press, and a center-forward built for this type of away tie. Remove the pure pace of Nico Williams from the equation and the map of danger changes for the hosts. The margins look thin. The visitors carry a little more craft and a little more security in the middle third.
Athletic Club 0-1 Arsenal. A match decided by one clean move and a handful of calm defensive plays in the final quarter-hour.