Event
Details
- Fixture:
Athletic Club (Bilbao) vs Arsenal — First matchday of the 2025-26
Champions League group stage.
- Date & Kick-off Time: Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 18:45 local time
(San Mamés, Bilbao).
- Venue:
Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain.
- Context:
Athletic Club are playing in the Champions League for the first time since
around 2014-15. Arsenal reached the semi-finals last season and are coming
in with high ambition.
Team
News & Injuries / Availability
Athletic
Club
- Unavailable Players / Doubts:
- Nico Williams
is out with an adductor injury.
- Beñat Prados
has suffered a serious knee injury (ACL), ruled out for the season.
- Unai Egiluz
also has a long-term ACL injury.
- Yeray Álvarez
is suspended (doping ban) until April next year.
- Aymeric Laporte
is not named in the Champions League squad (or unavailable).
- Further doubts: Íñigo Lekue is injury-doubt
(adductor).
- Squad Situation:
- Manager Ernesto Valverde has called up 23 players for
the match; mostly everyone available apart from the absentees.
- Key players Athletic will rely on include Unai Simón
(GK), Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Berenguer.
Arsenal
- Unavailable Players / Doubts:
- Martin Ødegaard
is out for this match with shoulder injury.
- Bukayo Saka
remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
- Kai Havertz,
Gabriel Jesus are also ruled out.
- Ben White
is unavailable.
- William Saliba
is doubtful.
- Depth / Returns:
- Some players returning / available for rotation: Riccardo
Calafiori, Ethan Nwaneri (younger players) are coming back.
- Declan Rice,
Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino expected to be key in
midfield.
Live
Broadcast / Streaming Info
- Spain:
The match will be available on the appropriate Champions League
broadcaster (for example Movistar+ Liga de Campeones).
- UK:
Likely on TNT Sports (current Champions League rights holder in UK).
- Elsewhere:
Some streaming / broadcast through SonyLIV / Sony Sports in certain
countries (e.g. India) per prediction sites.
- If you tell me your country, I can try to find the
exact broadcaster / stream in your region.