Calamitous own goal gives Tottenham 1-0 win against Villarreal
Real Madrid win 2-1 at home to Marseille as Alexander-Arnold off injured
Juventus snatch 4-4 draw with Dortmund in remarkable game, Qarabag come back to stun Benfica
Arsenal beat Athletic Club 2-0 as subs Martinelli & Trossard both score
Watch BBC Radio 5 Live Champions League Final Score at top of page
Athletic Club 0-0 Arsenal
The Gunners are wearing their blue away shirts, while the hosts are decked out in their traditional red and white.
The visitors are enjoying plenty of early possession but are spending the opening moments inside their own half.
Athletic Club 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal's latest attempt to win the Champions League for the first time is under way.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Paul Robinson
Former Tottenham goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live at San Mames
This feels like a major tournament final or a World Cup game in here.
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Arsenal to go all the way. I've booked my trip to Budapest already!
Charlie, Sussex
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Six Stars: Some mouthwatering ties coming up. I’m backing Liverpool, but failing that then any English side - including Newcastle.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Arsenal are the first non-Spanish team to name four Spaniards in their starting XI for a Champions League game against Spanish opposition (Raya, Mosquera, Merino, Zubimendi) since Chelsea-Barcelona in February 2018 (Alonso, Azpilicueta, Pedro, Fabregas).
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Here they come...
Image source, Getty ImagesAthletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Paul Robinson
Former Tottenham goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live at San Mames
It's a wonderful stadium. It's absolutely packed to the rafters and the noise is going to be sensational.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Arsenal's women, of course, are champions of Europe.
Will this be the season the men conquer Europe for the first time?
"The margins in this competition are super small and you have to be at your very best from day one to give yourself the best possible chance," said Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
This is Athletic Club's first appearance on the Champions League stage since 2014-15. And boy, the locals are really up for this.
The whole stadium is decked out in red and white, and thousands of scarves are being held in the air as the players begin to gather in the tunnel.
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Cant wait to see Eze and Madueke play tonight, hoping they can continue their great PL form!!!
Mohammed, Croydon
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Alex Howell
BBC Sport football reporter in San Mames Stadium
The noise has really gone up another level in the last 10 minutes or so.
The home supporters behind one of the goals are waving flags and chanting.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Paul Robinson
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live at San Mames
It’s going to be a stern test, I think that’s what the Champions League is there for and the test for Arsenal will be to compete on both fronts [in the Premier League and in Europe]. We know the recent quarter-finals and semi-finals that they’ve had, and lost, so they’ll be looking to progress even further.
They’ve not had European success since 1994 so it’s a long time. They spent heavily in the summer, and they recruited really well. But I think tonight will be a tough test for them against the Europa League semi-finalists from last season.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17.45 BST)
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Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
San Mames is known by locals as 'The Cathedral'.
Ten minutes or so before kick-off, there's a 48,000-strong choir inside whipping themselves into a frenzy.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Theo Walcott
BBC Match of the Day pundit & ex-Arsenal forward
I am really looking forward to seeing Eberechi Eze in the Champions League. It's very different to Premier League football and there might be games where he gets a bit more time on the ball. When you give that time to a player like him, who is so gifted, it is exciting to think what he could do.
Athletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
It's a big moment for Ebereche Eze and Noni Madueke who are both making their Champions League debuts tonight.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesAthletic Club v Arsenal (17:45 BST)
Image source, Getty ImagesArsenal goalkeeper David Raya, speaking to Uefa: "We're looking forward to playing and we are excited to start the campaign, especially in a stadium like this. We can't wait to get started."
On Arsenal's being one of the favourites: "We leave that stuff behind us. We want to do our talking on the pitch. We hope to start the campaign with three points, we know that will be very difficult in a place like this, and against a team like this that will fight from the very first minute. So we will see what will happen, but we hope to start the campaign with three points and on the right foot."
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The pressure is on every football manager, regardless if they spend money or not. Arsenal have been shrewd, and the team looks fantastic. Going to be a good season for Arsenal fans!
Darren, Abergavenny
PSV v Union Saint-Gilloise (17:45 BST)
PSV Eindhoven host Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise and there are a few names in the USG team who English fans might remember.
Their captain is former Portsmouth defender Christian Burgess, while ex-Accrington and Southport centre-back Ross Sykes is on the bench.
In midfield is Kevin Mac Allister - the brother of Liverpool's Alexis.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Union Saint-Gilloise | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| |
3 Qarabağ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| |
8 Ajax | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
14 Bodø / Glimt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
16 Club Brugge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
18 København | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
19 Galatasaray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
21 Kairat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
27 Olympiakos Piraeus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
29 Pafos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
30 Slavia Prague | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
31 Sporting CP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
32 Benfica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| |
35 PSV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
Manager: Thomas Frank
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Marcelino García
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Thomas Frank
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Marcelino García
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
UEFA Champions League
All competitions
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This will be the first meeting between Tottenham and Villarreal in European competition, with Spurs winning just one of their last 13 matches against Spanish opposition in major European competition (D5 L7).
Villarreal have played 14 matches against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League and are still looking for their first victory (D6 L8), while losing each of the last seven in a row. Over half of their defeats in the competition have been against English opposition (57% - 8/14).
This will be third time that Villarreal have played their opening game of a UEFA Champions League campaign against an English side (out of five seasons). The previous two were both against Manchester United and both finished 0-0, in 2005-06 and 2008-09.
Tottenham have only won their opening game of a European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaign in two of their seven attempts (D2 L3). However, those two have arrived on the last two occasions where they have played their opener at home: 2-0 v Marseille in 2022-23 and 3-1 v Borussia Dortmund in 2017-18.
Villarreal’s last match in the UEFA Champions League came in the semi-finals of the 2021-22 edition, losing 2-5 on aggregate to Liverpool. The Spaniards won three of their six away games in that campaign (D1 L2), more than they managed in 14 away matches across their three previous appearances in this competition (W2 D5 L7).
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank will take charge of a team in the UEFA Champions League for the first time – in fact, his only previous experience of managing in European competition came in qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, winning just three of 10 matches with Brøndby IF (D4 L3).
42 percent of Tottenham’s goals in the UEFA Champions League (since 1992-93) have been scored by Harry Kane or Son Heung-min (37/89). Following the departures of both, the only current Tottenham player with more than one goal for the club in the competition is Richarlison (2).
Villarreal forward Georges Mikautadze has been directly involved in seven goals in eight starts in major European competition to date (four goals, three assists), with all of those coming for Lyon in the UEFA Europa League last season.
Randal Kolo Muani could feature for a fourth different team (Tottenham) in the UEFA Champions League since the start of 2022-23, having previously appeared for Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris SG and Juventus. No active Champions League player has played for as many as four different teams in this period.
Villarreal defender Juan Foyth made his UEFA Champions League debut for Tottenham back in December 2017 (v APOEL Nicosia). Indeed, the Argentinean remains the youngest player to start a home game for the club in the competition (19y 328d in that match).
