New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde believes Arsenal are one of the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League ahead of their clash at San Mames.

Chasing their maiden UCL triumph, Arsenal will begin their campaign on Tuesday and hope to go further in the tournament after falling to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals in the 2024/25 season.

“They are one of the favourites to win the Champions League thanks to their technical and tactical ability and the winning spirit that Arteta has instilled in them. It’s the start of the Champions League and we’re playing against a high-level opponent, the kind that Bilbao likes, but we have to be very careful and take advantage of opportunities. Arsenal won’t be forgiving,” said Valverde.

A first-ever competitive meeting with Athletic Club has allowed Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta the chance to return to his homeland in the Basque Country, where Bilbao is situated an hour away from San Sebastian where he grew up.

Having grown up in the region and played for Athletic’s rivals Real Sociedad, Arteta is excited to make his managerial debut in the city in front of a lot of his friends and family.

“We’re excited to start again from scratch in a beautiful place, in a stadium that is going to generate something special. We’re looking forward to that and I’m very excited again to step by step build some momentum, and start to have some wins.

“We landed in Bilbao, that’s normally where I land when I go back home to San Sebastian, it’s an hour’s drive from there. All my family is from there, and you just sense the passion, the rivalry, the football atmosphere. It’s great to be here – I’ve never been in this stadium before, so it’s a good experience,” said Arteta in the pre-game conference.

–IANS

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