Arsenal kick-start their Champions League campaign with a tricky away trip to Athletic Club, as Mikel Arteta will want a positive start in Bilbao.
Ernesto Valverde will have the privilege to lead his Athletic Club side back into the UEFA Champions League after a hiatus of more than a decade when they face Arsenal on Matchday 1. The Basque giants are in the competition courtesy of finishing fourth in La Liga last term, and thry already have a big test against last season’s semi-finalists Arsenal.
Athletic Club have featured in the premier competition only two times in the past, in the 1998/99 and 2014/15 campaigns. The Basque giants themselves were semifinalists last season in the Europa League, although they did end up losing 7-1 on aggregate to losing finalists Manchester United.
On the domestic front, Valverde’s men have had a fantastic start to the new La Liga campaign after three consecutive wins over Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis. However, they were not so fortunate after the international break as they lost at home to Deportivo Alaves. Hence, there will be some concerns over the visit from Arsenal, as the manager would want a positive start to their continental campaign.
Meanwhile, Arsenal played Athletic Club recently before the season opened at the Emirates in a friendly. The ensuing game resulted in a 3-0 win for Mikel Arteta’s side, and the Gunners boss will hope there is a repeat of that performance.
There is no reason for the Gunners to feel otherwise, having swept Nottingham Forest aside in Saturday’s early kick-off. A brace from Basque midfielder Martin Zubimendi, either side of a Viktor Gyokeres strike, proved enough for Arsenal to take three points and go into the Athletic Club game with confidence.
The Gunners will aim to finish in the top eight of the Champions League table as their priority objective, and Arteta would want a top-three finish like last season. The trip to Bilbao could be one of the trickiest away trips for them this season. Arteta will be confident of taking three points on their result to Spain, as they defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu the last time they visited the country in this competition.
Team News & Tactics
Athletic Club
Benat Prados, Inigo Lekue, and Unai Egiluz are missing from action for the Basque side, while the club have not registered summer arrival Aymeric Laporte for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. The big blow came in the form of Nico Williams, who will miss this clash with an abductor injury.
There is a chance his elder brother, Inaki Williams, will switch over to the left-hand side of the front line to cover for his sibling. Oihan Sancet and Alex Berenguer will complete the front line, with Maroan Sannadi leading the pack up front.
Ernesto Valverde will prefer the midfield pairing of Mikel Jauregizar and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta. Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes will feature in central defence, with a full-back pairing of Yuri Berchiche and Jesus Areso in place for this game.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Simon; Areso, Paredes, Vivian, Berchiche; Jauregizar, Galarreta; Berenguer, Sancet, Williams; Sannadi
Arsenal
The Gunners continue to miss star man Bukayo Saka, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury, while Kai Havertz is also absent from proceedings. There are some doubts over Ben White, who was not spotted in the most recent training session after missing the Nottingham Forest clash at the weekend.
On the positive side, William Saliba has resumed full training following his ankle twist at the Liverpool game, which will be a major boost for Mikel Arteta’s squad. However, summer arrival Cristhian Mosquera performed admirably, which could make the manager probably use him at right-back if he feels the need to rest Jurrien Timber in Ben White’s potential absence.
With the Manchester City game on the horizon, Arteta could potentially continue with the same backline, with new arrival Piero Hincapie likely to come on at some stage of the game. Martin Odegaard is also expected to be absent after suffering a repeat of the shoulder problem he had during the Leeds United game.
Arteta could re-shuffle the pack in the middle, and Declan Rice could return to the lineup to play alongside Zubimendi and Mikel Merino. Ethan Nwaneri could have a good chance to have a spot in place of Odegaard, but Arteta might prefer Mikel Merino and probably use the teenager at the weekend. The frontline is also expected to stay the same with Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and the impressive Noni Madueke featuring there.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Merino, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
Key Stats
- Athletic Club have won three of their four games this season.
- Athletic Club last played in the UEFA Champions League during the 2014/15 season.
- Arsenal have also won three of their four games so far this season.
- The Gunners have kept three clean sheets in those four games.
- Arsenal have conceded just 18 goals in 24 UEFA Champions League matches under Mikel Arteta. Among teams with 20+ games under a manager, only four sides in the competition have a better goals conceded per game average (0.75): Fabio Capello’s AC Milan (0.38), Louis van Gaal’s Ajax (0.63), Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona (0.68) and Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona (0.71).
Player to Watch
Martin Zubimendi
The Spanish midfielder has taken no time to adapt to new surroundings, particularly the Premier League, after his summer move from boyhood club Real Sociedad. On Saturday, he scored a fantastic brace against Nottingham Forest to set the ball rolling, and the Spaniard looks increasingly like a solid acquisition for Arsenal.
Now, he has a chance to return to the Basque Country and showcase his talent against a former rival. Zubimendi will once again sit at the base of the Arsenal midfield, which is steadily growing to his prowess, and the Spaniard is the man to dictate the tempo and how the game flows for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Prediction
Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal
Athletic Club are not in a bad state of form, and rather identical to Arsenal for the way they have begun the new season. However, this will be a game of pressure and joy in equal measure for the Basque outfit, but they might have preferred some other opponent to open their campaign.
Arsenal have shown improved defensive stability, as they have only conceded once in four games, and that might continue into their UEFA Champions League campaign. The Gunners are also playing with a bit of freedom and fluidity, and Mikel Arteta will want another brilliant showing on the pitch.
The Premier League giants are expected to win and keep a clean sheet at Athletic Club, but this may not be a straightforward victory by any means. The Hard Tackle predicts Mikel Arteta and his charges to clinch a 2-0 win over Athletic Club..
