Athletic Club vs Arsenal: Champions League Lineups, Injuries, and Key Updates
First UCL appearance since 2014 for Athletic Club; Arsenal missing key stars like Ødegaard and Saka in high-stakes group opener.
Bilbao, September 16 EST: The San Mamés is bouncing like it hasn’t in years. Red-and-white flags, chants echoing off the steel roof, and a sense that something bigger than just football is unfolding. Athletic Club are finally back in the Champions League, a stage they haven’t touched since 2014, and they’ve been handed the chance to announce themselves against Arsenal, a side patched up and patched over, but still brimming with pedigree.
Arsenal’s Skeleton Crew
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Mikel Arteta is rolling the dice tonight. Martin Ødegaard didn’t even make the trip, a shoulder still giving him grief. That’s the captain, the heartbeat, gone. Bukayo Saka? Missing. Gabriel Jesus? Out. Kai Havertz, Ben White? Also sidelined. It’s a laundry list that reads more like a hospital intake form than a Champions League squad sheet.
Sure, William Saliba is back on the bench, at least but Arsenal’s starting XI has a patchwork feel. David Raya behind a back line featuring Jurriën Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, a midfield engine room of Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino, and a front three that feels more like a trial run than a headline act: Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, and Viktor Gyökeres. There’s talent there, no doubt, but it’s raw, untested at this level in these colors.
Athletic’s Own Battle Scars
And yet, Athletic aren’t exactly full strength either. Nico Williams, their electric winger, is sitting this one out with a groin injury. Aymeric Laporte? Not available. Yeray Álvarez? Suspended. The club’s walking wounded include Prados and Egiluz, both long-term casualties.
Still, when Ernesto Valverde pinned his team sheet to the wall, it looked and felt like an Athletic XI: Unai Simón between the sticks, a defense of Gorosabel, Vivian, Paredes, and Adama, with the tireless Mikel Vesga and young Jauregizar patrolling midfield. Oihan Sancet carries the creative burden, flanked by Navarro and Williams, while Berenguer lurks up top ready to snap at half-chances.
San Mamés Roars Again
Forget tactics for a moment. Forget injuries. What matters here is the noise. The San Mamés crowd doesn’t just watch football, it lives it, breathes it, fuels it. And tonight, you can feel the pent-up energy of eleven long years spilling into every chorus of Aupa Athletic!
This isn’t just a group-stage opener. It’s a statement game. Athletic play with their history strapped to their boots, their Basque-only tradition turning every European night into something mythical. Unai Simón captured it perfectly when he told The Guardian that winning with this club means more than “ten titles anywhere else.” You believe him because you see it on the faces in the stands.
Arsenal’s Test Of Character
For Arsenal, this is trial by fire. A club that prides itself on stylish, precise football now has to grind it out in one of the toughest venues in Europe. Can Rice and Zubimendi calm the storm in midfield? Can Eze do what Ødegaard would’ve done—find that pass no one else sees? And can Gyökeres, with his muscle and drive, bully Vivian and Paredes into mistakes?
The questions are hanging in the humid Bilbao air. The answers will come only under pressure, under whistles, under the kind of noise you can feel in your chest cavity.
What This Night Means
For Athletic, it’s simple: they’re back where they belong, staring down a European giant, with a chance to remind the continent why San Mamés is spoken about in hushed tones. For Arsenal, it’s survival and statement rolled into one. Survive the absences, steal a result, and suddenly the group feels manageable. Slip, and the pressure back home ratchets up immediately.
This isn’t just football. It’s pride, it’s history, it’s a team scarred by absences against a club fueled by belonging. The stage is set, the floodlights are humming, and somewhere deep inside San Mamés, the ghosts of 2014 are stirring. Tonight, everything feels alive again.
New Jersey Times Is Your Source: The Latest In Politics, Entertainment, Business, Breaking News, And Other News. Please Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, And Twitter To Receive Instantaneous Updates. Also Do Checkout Our Telegram Channel @Njtdotcom For Latest Updates.
A former college-level cricketer and lifelong sports enthusiast, Arun Upadhayay brings the heart of an athlete to the sharp eye of a journalist. With firsthand experience in competitive sports and a deep understanding of team dynamics, Arun covers everything from grassroots tournaments to high-stakes international showdowns. His reporting blends field-level grit with analytical precision, making him a trusted voice for sports fans across New Jersey and beyond.
