Arsenal got some good vibes in their last friendly of the preseason, beating La Liga regulars Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta got needed improvement from his side, which had lost to Spurs and Villarreal in their previous two preseason outings — goals from Viktor Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz putting the attackers in decent form ahead of next weekend’s Premier League season opener versus Manchester United.
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Bilbao put on an entertaining show against Liverpool on Monday but lost two games at Anfield (4-1 and 3-2). Ernesto Valverde’s side are set to challenge for another top four finish in La Liga this season but were not able to find a way past David Raya on Saturday.
Gyokeres, Saka, and Martin Zubimendi were fantastic from the start, as Gabriel Martinelli started at left wing over Noni Madueke and Havertz. Madueke entered for Martinelli at halftime and Havertz took the place of Gyokeres after 71 minutes.
Gunners new faces, defense impress
Arsenal limited Athletic, a fine club with dangerous winger Inaki Williams and his brother Nico, to two shot attempts on 42 percent possession. They did it with control of the middle of the park, with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi only surpassed in touches by center back William Saliba. Zubimendi is familiar with the opposition so perhaps it’s no surprise he shined against La Liga competition, opening up Bilbao with long passes and creating a pair of dangerous chances. And it shouldn’t feel good for Premier League rivals to note that the Gunners got goals from both of their center forwards as well as all-world winger Saka, who joined Zubimendi and Gabriel Martinelli in registering assists.
What’s next?
Arsenal go to Old Trafford in Week 1, kicking off at 11:30am ET Sunday, August 17 versus Manchester United.
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 final score: 3-0
Viktor Gyokeres 34', Bukayo Saka 36', Kai Havertz 82'
Kai Havertz goal — Arsenal 3-0 Athletic Bilbao (82nd minute)
Gyokeres’ replacement after 71 minutes doesn’t need long to get on the score sheet.
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.
