Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao live: Build-up, kick-off time and team news for pre-season friendly – UK Times

Arsenal XI: Raya: Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard: Saka, Martinelli; Gyokeres

The match will take place on Saturday, 9 August at Emirates Stadium in London, with kick-off set for 5pm BST.

Arteta is desperate to guide Arsenal over the line in the title race, with the hope that their new signings will position them well to dethrone Liverpool. “I think we’ve done that in the last three years and that’s the next step,” Arteta said after defeat to Villarreal. “We know what it is and we’re going to be better. It’s like any other team when you look at the competition, the pieces of the puzzle that they’ve added. They’re big ones as well so we’re all trying to be at our best.”

Finding the right balance with a new midfield will also be key, as Martin Zubimendi takes a leading role alongside Declan Rice, with Saturday’s friendly likely to show us how quickly this Arsenal side can start the new campaign next week.

Hello and welcome to the Independent’s coverage of Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao.

The Gunners have struggled in recent weeks with a north London derby defeat to Tottenham in Hong Kong and then a 3-2 loss at home to Villarreal.

Viktor Gyokeres will hope to break his duck in red before next week’s Premier League opener and the Basque side should provide a good test for Mikel Arteta’s outfit just days out from the start of the new campaign.