Preview: Club Brugge vs Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

On the cusp of qualification for the last 16 of the 2025-26 Champions League, perfect Arsenal endeavour to punch their ticket to the next round in Wednesday's battle with Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

The Gunners taught Bayern Munich a footballing lesson in a 3-1 home triumph on matchday five, whereas their hosts were taken down 3-0 by Sporting Lisbon and face the prospect of early elimination.

Match preview

The Emirates Stadium witnessed the two best teams in Europe - according to that day's league-phase table - collide on November 26, when Arsenal laid down a mammoth Champions League marker to maintain their 100% record at Bayern's expense.

The Gunners may have lost their perfect defensive streak in this season's tournament against the Bundesliga champions, but Lennart Karl's equaliser proved futile in the grand scheme of things, and Arsenal now stand alone at the summit of the 36-team rankings.

Sixteen points was enough for a guaranteed last-16 ticket in the 2024-25 season, and while there are many complicated permutations to work through, an anticipated win for Arsenal on Wednesday will surely see them bypass the first knockout stage for the second year running.

Mikel Arteta's men have already assured themselves of a playoff place at the very worst and are now aiming for a 10th straight success in the Champions League league phase, as well as a 10th consecutive match without defeat versus a Belgian club.

Arsenal have never won their opening six games of a Champions League season in their history, though, and Arteta's men head to Bruges on the back of an excruciating 2-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa, one which cut their lead at the top of the table to just two points above Manchester City.

Coincidentally two points adrift of a precious playoff place in the Champions League rankings, hosts Club Brugge have experienced a dramatic fall from continental grace since opening their 2025-26 tournament with an astonishing 4-1 battering of Monaco.

Nicky Hayen's men have taken just one point from the last 12 on offer in the Champions League - albeit a very respectable point in a 3-3 thriller with Barcelona - but Atalanta BC, Bayern and Sporting have proven superior to the Belgian outfit.

A comprehensive 3-0 loss to the latter on matchday five left Club Brugge in a miserable 26th place in the 36-team standings, and the hosts also have ground to make up in the Jupiler Pro League title race amid a dismal spell of domestic form.

Since going down to Sporting, Blauw-Zwart have fallen to 1-0 and 3-2 defeats to Royal Antwerp and St Truiden respectively, leaving them third in the Belgian top-flight standings and five points adrift of leaders Union SG.

It is not all doom and gloom for the home faithful - their side are unbeaten in their last five Champions League league-phase matches at the Jan Breydel Stadium - but 14 losses from 18 games against English clubs paints a bleak picture for the Belgians.

Club Brugge Champions League form:

Club Brugge form (all competitions):

Arsenal Champions League form:

Arsenal form (all competitions):

Team News

Arsenal's defence has been and continues to be decimated by injuries in December; Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) and Gabriel Magalhaes (thigh) are both out for a number of weeks, William Saliba (knock) remains a doubt, and Riccardo Calafiori was also seen limping towards the tunnel at Villa Park.

A fully-fit Calafiori would likely start on Wednesday given that he is about to serve a Premier League suspension, but Myles Lewis-Skelly will surely make the first XI in Bruges and ought to be one of a handful of alterations for the visitors.

Ethan Nwaneri, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres should also be considered for promotion from the bench on Wednesday, when Declan Rice and Mikel Merino must tread with caution; both will miss the clash with Inter Milan if they are booked.

As for Club Brugge, Hayen risks being without his two first-choice goalkeepers, as ex-Liverpool veteran Simon Mignolet (overstretching) and Nordin Jackers (rib fracture) both missed the weekend's loss to St Truiden.

Centre-back Zaid Romero (back), midfield duo Lynnt Audoor (muscle) and Ludovit Reis (shoulder) and striker Romeo Vermant (concussion) complete a six-strong injury list for the hosts, who can at least field a couple of highly-rated talents.

Twenty-one-year-old centre-back Joel Ordonez has been linked with Liverpool, while 20-year-old midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic - son of Inter Milan UCL winner Dejan Stankovic - is said to be on Tottenham Hotspur's radar.

Club Brugge possible starting lineup:

Van den Heuvel; Siquet, Mechele, Ordonez, Seys; Stankovic, Onyedika; Forbs, Vanaken, Tzolis; Tresoldi

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; White, Timber, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Nwaneri, Norgaard, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli

We say: Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal

Arsenal were not exactly bereft of invention against Aston Villa; the Gunners created four big chances but often lacked the ruthlessness to finish them off, which should not be the case on Wednesday.

Arteta's men are catching Club Brugge in a bad moment for the injury-hit Belgians, and even a rotated Arsenal side should cruise to a last-16-clinching victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.