Athletic Bilbao vs Qarabag Prediction 22.10.2025 | UEFA Champions League

The 2025–26 campaign could not have started in a more impressive way for Athletic Bilbao, who came out on top in all three of their opening challenges, beating Sevilla in a five-goal thriller, edging past Rayo Vallecano by the narrowest of margins, and securing a 2-1 victory at Real Betis.

Since returning to competitive action after the September international break, however, everything has gone downhill for the Basque side, who have produced unexpectedly poor results, evident in just one win from eight matches across various competitions.

Their miserable run of form currently stretches to five defeats, including two from the opening UEFA Champions League tests, where they first stumbled with a two-goal loss to Arsenal and then suffered a brutal 4-1 hammering by Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion.

Yeray Alvarez is serving a 10-month suspension, while Unai Egiluz and Benat Prados are sidelined from Wednesday’s European clash as they continue their recovery.

On the opposite side of the pitch is a Qarabag side who have established themselves as a surprise package through the opening two rounds of UEFA's most elite club competition, joining an exclusive group of just six teams to start the UCL season with a maximum record.

On matchday one, the Azerbaijani champions pulled off a sensational comeback, overturning a two-goal deficit to stun Benfica in a five-goal thriller in the heart of Lisbon, before following it up with a confident 2-0 victory over Copenhagen to cement their strong start.

Buoyed by a phenomenal start in the UCL and a current six-game winning streak in all competitions, the Horsemen’s motivation is clearly sky-high, but their record against Spanish sides casts a shadow over their chances, having failed to win any of that type matches in five attemps (D2 L3).

Thirty-year-old midfielder Marko Jankovic has recovered in time and will be available for Wednesday’s European clash, while Spanish midfielder Jonathan Montiel remains sidelined due to a persistent thigh injury.