Former Premier League star Theo Walcott has gone against the consensus and backed Arsenal to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
In the BBC’s special Champions League predictions column, most pundits, as well as the Opta Supercomputer, sided with Liverpool. There were also a few shouts for record 15-time winners Real Madrid. Walcott was the only one on the panel to tip the Gunners to win the Champions League.
Arsenal are 7/1 with football betting sites to win the Champions League. At 6/1, Liverpool are the oddsmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy in Budapest’s Puskas Arena on May 30th.
Arsenal Kick Off Champions League Campaign at Athletic Bilbao
With 48 teams vying for the ultimate prize in European football, the new Champions League campaign gets underway on Tuesday night.
Premier League aspirants Arsenal will be one of the first four teams to take to the field, with them facing Athletic Bilbao at 7:45 P.M. BST. PSV Eindhoven and Union St. Gilloise will partake in the other game before four more games get underway at the traditional 8:00 P.M.
The Champions League is back ✨ pic.twitter.com/c1QQsH0Fvw
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 15, 2025
According to Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal stats, it will be the two teams’ first competitive meeting. They, however, faced each other in the Emirates Cup friendly earlier this summer. Arsenal claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory over the LaLiga side, with Viktor Gyokeres (35′), Bukayo Saka (37′), and Kai Havertz (82′) scoring.
Theo Walcott Backs Arsenal to Win the Champions League
Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott made a bold Champions League prediction on the BBC. Instead of siding with the majority, Walcott tipped his former team to win. According to the Englishman, Viktor Gyokeres would be the difference-maker, suggesting he was the last piece of the puzzle.
Walcott said:
“I am not just saying this because I am Arsenal, but I do feel that if they had someone like Viktor Gyokeres in the PSG semi-final they lost last season, then they would have won it.
“When you create danger and put a ball into certain areas, Gyokeres is going to be there. He is that kind of old-school centre-forward who is going to make a difference for them in a lot of games this season. Arsenal are not going to draw as many games in the Premier League, and he is so equipped for the Champions League knockout ties as well.”
Eze ➡️ Gyokeres
Three goals in four Premier League games for our Super Swede 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/tt7TrUFwAU
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 14, 2025
He concluded by adding:
“Add that to the personnel that Arsenal already have, and how strong they are defensively, and that’s why I am backing them to win it.”
Arsenal earned plaudits for their performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Gunners delivered a commanding performance over two legs and beat the then-defending champions 5-1 on aggregate. In the semi-finals, however, they fell short, losing 3-1 on aggregate to PSG.
