Arsenal open Champions League campaign at Athletic Bilbao

Arsenal begin their bid for European glory on Tuesday when they travel to Athletic Bilbao for their opening Champions League group match at San Mamés, with kickoff scheduled for 17:45 BST.

The match pits Mikel Arteta’s side, beaten in last season’s semifinals by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, against a Bilbao team competing in the Champions League for the first time since 2014–15. Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde warned of the challenge his team faces while offering praise for Arsenal’s coach, and Arteta said his squad must take lessons from last season’s narrow margins.

Valverde, speaking on Monday, described Arteta as “one of the best coaches in the world” and said Arsenal’s style, pressing and ability to play out from the back make them among the competition’s favourites. “When you are playing with one of the favourite teams to win the competition, it is clear that you have to tune very fine and take advantage of the opportunities that you can have and not concede too many,” the Athletic coach said.

Arteta stressed the fine margins of knockout competition and the importance of squad depth after Arsenal’s deep run last season. “That with our long history [we haven’t won it] tells you how difficult it is,” he said. “The pressure is the opportunity that drives us... There is a very clear intention with us to get better every day.” Arteta added that injuries and availability had been decisive factors in tight European campaigns, and that Arsenal’s recruitment over the summer aimed to build a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts.

Athletic arrive in the competition after winning domestic qualification, their return to the Champions League following an 11-season absence. The Basque club will seek to use home advantage at San Mamés — a stadium celebrated by visiting reporters for its atmosphere and design — to test Arsenal early in the group.

Arsenal reached last season’s latter stages by eliminating established European sides but were halted in the semifinals. PSG enter this season as reigning champions, and several observers have noted the depth of competition across the continent. Arteta has spoken publicly about the need to learn from narrow defeats and to ensure the squad is at full strength at decisive moments.

Athletic’s Valverde said his side must perform near-perfectly to expose any vulnerabilities. “You have to make a perfect game to show your virtues and try to minimise what they can do to you,” he said, referencing the challenge of containing Arsenal’s pressing and transitions. Bilbao’s experience of top-level European competition is limited in recent years, but the coach urged his players to “take advantage of the opportunities” they can create.

The match is the first of Arsenal’s six group fixtures, and it will be followed across Europe by other early ties that open the new Champions League campaign. Coverage from San Mamés will continue through kickoff, with reporters on site noting both the stadium’s atmosphere and the tactical questions each manager must answer.

Team news and tactical setups were being finalised in the hours before kickoff. Arsenal’s selection decisions will be watched for indications of how Arteta plans to balance domestic and European commitments, while Valverde’s lineup will reflect whether Athletic adopt a conservative shape to contain Arsenal or press more boldly at home. The outcome will set the tone for both clubs’ group campaigns.