Arsenal closing in on Champions League history as incredible stat emerges ahead of Athletic Bilbao
Arsenal could create Champions League history with a feat never achieved before against Athletic Bilbao.
The Gunners have never won the competition, but reached the semi-final stage last season before being knocked out by eventual winners PSG.
Mikel Arteta’s side have enjoyed a positive start to the campaign, with victory over Nottingham Forest lifting them to 2nd in the Premier League table.
William Saliba and Christian Norgaard could return against Athletic Bilbao, but Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury means Arteta will be missing one of his star players.
Arsenal victory could make Champions League history
As per BBC Sport [15 September] Arsenal could become the first side in the history of the Champions League to win six consecutive games against Spanish opposition.
Across the past two seasons, Arsenal have beaten Real Madrid twice, Sevilla twice and Girona once.
That pair of victories over Real Madrid last season earned Arsenal a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta looking to make Arsenal first in Champions League
Whilst a piece of Champions League history can be made, Arteta is ultimately looking to win the competition with the Gunners for the very first time.
Progress was made in the competition last season, and it was fine margins which decided the clashes against PSG in the semi-finals.
| Games Played | 14 |
| Games Won | 9 |
| Games Drawn | 2 |
| Games Lost | 3 |
Arteta will believe that the signings made over the summer, most notably Viktor Gyokeres, have closed the gap further on Europe’s elite.
League stage matches against Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan will give indicators of Arsenal’s strength this time around.
Victory at Athletic Bilbao is expected to get Arsenal off to a positive start, and in doing so it could be the platform again for another deep run into the competition.