Preview:Borussia Dortmund vs Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

Both Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao will be aiming to record their first Champions League wins of the season when the two teams lock horns in the league stage of the competition on Wednesday night.

Dortmund opened their European season with a 4-4 draw against Juventus in Italy, while Athletic suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal on their return to the competition.

Match preview

Dortmund were involved in an all-time Champions League classic against Juventus in gameweek one, with the two teams playing out a 4-4 draw in Turin; BVB actually led 4-2 heading into stoppage time, before the Italian giants incredibly managed to register two late, late goals to pick up a point.

The Black and Yellows are unbeaten in all competitions this season, and they will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon.

Niko Kovac's side are second in the Bundesliga table, picking up 13 points from their five matches courtesy of a record of four wins and one defeat, and they trail perfect Bayern Munich by two points at this stage.

Dortmund famously won the Champions League in 1996-97, and they made it to the quarter-finals of the 2024-25 competition, losing to Barcelona, while they made the final in 2023-24, losing to Real Madrid, so they do not have fond memories of facing Spanish opposition of late.

BVB will also take on Copenhagen, Manchester City, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan in the league stage of this season's Champions League.

Athletic, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal in La Liga, and there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disappointing September for the Basque outfit.

Ernesto Valverde's side actually started their 2025-26 campaign with three straight wins in La Liga, beating Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis, but they lost at home to Alaves in Spain's top flight on September 13 before being beaten 2-0 by Arsenal at San Mames in their European opener.

Athletic have only picked up one point from their three league games since the Arsenal game, drawing with Girona either side of defeats to Valencia and Villarreal, which have left them 10th in the La Liga table.

The Lions played in the Europa League last season, reaching the semi-finals of the competition before losing to Manchester United, and they are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2014-15.

Athletic will face Qarabag, Newcastle United, Slavia Prague, Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta BC and Sporting Lisbon in their six games after this one, so a positive result on Wednesday could act as a springboard leading into some winnable matches for the club.

Borussia Dortmund Champions League form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

DWWDWW

Athletic Bilbao Champions League form:

Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):

WLLLDL

Team News

Dortmund will be missing Julien Duranville due to a shoulder problem, while Aaron Anselmino is a major doubt with a muscular issue; Emre Can is also set to miss out due to a troublesome groin injury, while Cole Campbell is at the Under-20s World Cup.

Serhou Guirassy withdrew from the starting lineup against Mainz on Saturday due to an injury problem, and he was ultimately an unused substitute in the Bundesliga affair.

However, the 29-year-old, who has scored five times in six appearances this season, is expected to be in the XI here, with Dortmund confident when it comes to his fitness.

Karim Adeyemi has also been another impressive performer, scoring three goals and registering two assists in six appearances, and the 23-year-old is set to start in the final third of the field.

As for Athletic, the Lions are sweating over the fitness of Nico Williams, who has been out through injury since early September, and it remains to be seen whether the Spain international will return to the fold here.

Alex Berenguer, Unai Egiluz, Mikel Vesga and Benat Prados are set to miss out through injury, while Yeray Alvarez is suspended from football until next April for a failed drugs test.

If Nico Williams does not recover in time, then it is likely that Unai Gomez will be used down the left, while there is also set to be a spot in the final third of the field for Gorka Guruzeta.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Guirassy, Beier

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; I Williams, Sancet, Gomez; Guruzeta

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Athletic Bilbao

This is a tough match for Athletic, as Dortmund have been in strong form this season. The visitors are struggling for performances at the moment, and we are expecting this to be a routine home success for the Bundesliga outfit.

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