Newcastle vs. Athletic Bilbao: Head-to-head record and past meetings after Champions League clash

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 3

Draws: 0

When Newcastle United and Athletic Bilbao collided in the 2025-26 Champions League, it marked the first time that the two clubs met in UEFA's premier competition, and only the third time that they have ever faced off competitively.

In November 2025, Eddie Howe's Toon welcomed Ernesto Valverde's injury-ravaged Lehoiak to St James' Park, and though the La Liga side enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, it was the Premier League club that took control of the contest and seized all three points with a 2-0 triumph.

Dan Burn opened the scoring with one of the best headers in the history of the Champions League, curling the ball around goalkeeper Unai Simon with just 11 minutes on the clock, before Joelinton sealed the game with a second moments after half time.

Decades prior, the Magpies and the Basque outfit first did battle in the second round of the 1994-95 UEFA Cup, where owing to the now-abolished away goals rule, Athletic advanced after a 3-3 aggregate draw over two legs.

St James' Park was the venue for the sides' maiden meeting in October 1994, and thanks to strikes from Andy Cole, Peter Beardsley and Ruel Fox before the hour mark, Newcastle were seemingly cruising to victory.

However, Kevin Keegan's men allowed their visitors back into the game, as Cuco Ziganda and Gontzal Suances reduced the deficit in the final 20 minutes of the match, and those defensive lapses from Newcastle would prove fatal.

The return fixture took place two weeks later at Athletic's San Mames home, where Ziganda was on target again in the 67th minute, before Ander Garitano wasted a chance to double the hosts' lead from the penalty spot.

Nevertheless, that one-goal triumph was enough to send Athletic through on away goals, although the Spanish outfit were then bested 4-3 by eventual winners Parma in the third round.

Newcastle and Athletic have crossed paths since that two-legged affair, locking horns at St James' Park in a summer 2022 friendly, where Eddie Howe oversaw a 2-1 victory courtesy of strikes from Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.