Arsenal host Athletic Bilbao in their final preseason friendly on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium and Mikel Arteta needs to see a big improvement from his side.
The Gunners lost 3-2 against Villarreal on Wednesday as Viktor Gyokeres got off to a slow start on his first start since his big-money arrival from Sporting Lisbon. Arsenal have made plenty of new signings but defensively they looked shaky and Arteta will be a little concerned after back-to-back defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal in preseason. Yes, it’s only preseason, but he will want to generate some momentum going into the new campaign where a trophy is a must.
Bilbao put on an entertaining show against Liverpool on Monday as they lost both games at Anfield (4-1 and 3-2) but showed plenty of attacking intent. Ernesto Valverde’s side are set to challenge for another top four finish in La Liga this season and are excited about their to return to the Champions League.
For live updates and highlights throughout Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12pm ET Saturday (August 9)
Venue: Emirates Stadium — London
TV Channel/Streaming: Arsenal.com
Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao live score: 2-0
Viktor Gyokeres 34′, Bukayo Sak 36′
Bukayo Saka goal — Arsenal 2-0 Athletic Bilbao (36th minute)
A Bilbao error is aided and abetted by Martin Odegaard and Gyokeres before Saka bundles the ball over the line.
Viktor Gyokeres goal — Arsenal 1-0 Athletic Bilbao (34th minute)
A Gunners corner sails over the sea of players but Bukayo Saka tracks down the ball and drops it back to Martin Zubimendi.
The midfielder sends a cross back toward the mass of bodies and fellow new signing Gyokeres thuds a header past Unai Simon.
Arsenal lineup
Raya, Calafiori, Magalhaes, Saliba, Timber, Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Saka
Athletic Bilbao lineup
Simon, Areso, Vivian, Lekue, Berchiche, De Galarreta, Jauregizer, N. Williams, Gomez, I. Williams, Berenguer
Arsenal team news, focus
All eyes will be on Gyokeres as he struggled to make an impact on his first start. He made some good runs but Arsenal’s players are perhaps not quite up to speed with how to provide the towering Swedish striker with the service he needs as they haven’t had a player like that up top since Arteta took charge. Elsewhere there are injury issues regarding Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori, while Gabriel Jesus continues his recovery from a long-term injury. Arsenal need the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba to step up early in the season and help them hit the ground running with some tough fixtures in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
Athletic Bilbao team news, focus
Bilbao’s star attacker Nico Williams did not get his move to Barcelona this summer but he played and starred against Liverpool at Anfield on Monday. Williams and his brother Inaki started out wide, while top goalscorer from last season Oihan Sancet scored and Bilbao are a very dangerous team on the counter. This will be a very good test for Arsenal against a team which doesn’t mind sitting deep and then pressing in the right moments to spring counters.
Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao prediction
This is the final test of preseason for Arsenal and everyone wants to see a big step up in performance levels, and a result. Arteta will go strong with his starting lineup and we should expect a big win. Arsenal 4-2 Athletic Bilbao.
