Match Overview

The Matchday 2 fixture of the 2025/26 group stage between Borussia Dortmund (Germany) and Athletic Bilbao (Spain) is scheduled for October 1st at Signal Iduna Park. This forecast offers a detailed prediction, betting insights, and statistical analysis for the Borussia Dortmund vs Athletic Bilbao clash.

Borussia Dortmund

Recent Form and Performance

In their opening group stage match, Nico Kovac’s squad came agonizingly close to an away victory against Juventus but tragically squandered a two-goal advantage in injury time, resulting in a thrilling 4:4 draw. Despite this, Borussia Dortmund has demonstrated resilience, remaining undefeated in seven of their last eight Champions League appearances (4 wins, 3 draws). Notably, the team managed to score over three goals in a European fixture for the first time in their previous 13 matches. Currently, the German side occupies 15th position in the overall group standings. It is also worth highlighting Dortmund’s strong home record against Spanish clubs, with only two defeats in their last 13 encounters (7 wins, 4 draws).

Key Statistics for Dortmund

• The club has avoided defeat in 6 of their last 7 home Champions League matches (4 wins, 2 draws).
• Dortmund conceded goals in 6 of their previous 8 home European fixtures.
• At least three goals were scored in 9 of Dortmund’s last 11 Champions League matches.

Borussia Dortmund’s Predicted Lineup (3-4-3)

Gregor Kobel – Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini – Yan Couto, Felix Nmecha, Jobe Bellingham, Daniel Svensson – Karim Adeyemi, Serhou Guirassy, Maximilian Beier.

Team News: Injuries

Defenders Aaron Anselmino and Emre Can are sidelined due to injuries and will not feature in this match.

Athletic Bilbao

Recent Performance and Challenges

Ernesto Valverde’s men suffered a 0:2 home defeat to Arsenal in their first group stage match, conceding both goals in the closing stages. Consequently, Athletic Bilbao has now endured three consecutive losses in European competitions, letting in at least two goals in each of these fixtures. Furthermore, the club failed to score for the third time in their last five European outings. The Spanish team currently sits in 32nd place in the overall group standings. An interesting statistic to note is Athletic’s strong record against German Bundesliga clubs, remaining undefeated in six successive European matches (4 wins, 2 draws).

Key Statistics for Athletic Bilbao

• The team has not secured a victory in 6 of their last 8 away European matches (2 draws, 4 losses).
• Both teams managed to score in 7 of the club’s previous 9 away matches in European club competitions.
• The Spaniards scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in 7 of their last 8 away European matches.

Athletic Bilbao’s Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)

Unai Simón – Yuri Berchiche, Daniel Vivian, Aymeric Laporte, Jesús Areso – Unai Gómez, Mikel Jauregizar, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Robert Navarro, Gorka Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams.

Team News: Injuries

Forward Nico Williams, midfielder Beñat Prados, and attacker Álex Berenguer will all miss the upcoming fixture due to injuries.

Match Official Profile

Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Referee Statistics

Matches officiated – 14 (International matches, 2024/25-2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 48;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.4;

Red cards shown – 1;

Average fouls per match – 23;

Penalties awarded – 36%.

Main Match Prediction: Borussia Dortmund vs Athletic Bilbao

Dortmund’s Attacking Prowess vs Defensive Vulnerabilities

In the first round, Dortmund demonstrated superb attacking prowess, netting four goals in Turin. Overall, Borussia plays an exciting, high-scoring brand of football, and in their last 13 home Champions League matches, the team failed to find the net on only two occasions. Furthermore, in seven of those fixtures, the club’s players scored at least twice. On the flip side, the Germans have not been particularly solid defensively, keeping only two clean sheets in their previous eight home European encounters.

Athletic’s Potential for Attack

Athletic may not have been effective in attack during their home game against Arsenal in the first round, but the team possesses the capability to improve in this aspect. Historically, the Bilbao side has scored regularly even when playing away: in their last 11 Champions League away clashes, the Spaniards only failed to score in one match. However, they conceded goals in 7 of their previous 9 away fixtures in this tournament.

Final Verdict

I anticipate both teams will score in this encounter, and my prediction is: “Both Teams to Score – Yes” with odds of 1.75.

Author of the Prediction

Dmitry Shchurko