Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction: Eight-time Emirates Cup winners, you’ll never sing that

Arsenal close out their pre-season preparations on Saturday (17:00, Arsenal website & App) as they take on Athletic Bilbao at the Emirates. The match will crown the winner of the Emirates Cup, a tournament named after Arsenal’s own sponsor that they have managed to win eight times. 

Saturday’s match is the first meeting between Gunners and the club you are not really supposed to call Athletic Bilbao. But the game is not Arsenal’s first time meeting La Liga opposition this pre-season. The North London side lost 3-2 to Villarreal on Wednesday night. Read on for my Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao predictions.

Team News

Noni Madueke, a summer buy from Chelsea, made his bow from the bench in that Villarreal game. Arteta may want to get a better look at his new winger in this one. Arsenal’s most talked-about new arrival made his first start in that same friendly. Victor Gyokeres was brought in from Sporting CP to finally address the age old question of “what if Arsenal had an actual striker?”. His quiet start garnered the usual echo-chamber schadenfreude on social media. They did that to Erling Haaland when he arrived in England, too…

One man who auditioned for that Arsenal striker role was Gabriel Jesus. The unlucky Brazil international is on the shelf long-term with a cruciate ligament tear expected to keep him out until the winter months. Short-term misses Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard are all in contention to return for the visit of the La Liga team.

Football Odds

The all-Basque, all-the-time signing policy of Athletic Club does stop them sealing too many headline-grabbing deals. But their fans can bask in the glory of Nico Williams for a lot longer, after he signed a whopping 10-year deal. Truly one of their own, he was on the verge of a move to Barcelona. But for once a big-name player did not just move to the Catalan giants without knowing when or if they would even be registered. 

The Bilbao side (that is where they’re from, I promise I’m not calling them Athletic Bilbao), can also call upon Spain number-one Unai Simon and captain Inaki Williams, brother of the aforementioned Nico, who is a bona fide club legend will cross the 500-appearance barrier this season if he stays fit.

Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao Odds

The Gunners are priced at 4/9 to secure the victory in a tournament they know intimately. Athletic Club are marketed at 11/2 while the draw is available at 16/5.

Football Fixtures

Arsenal to win and both teams to score @ 2/1

In a fun inversion of the trope of pasty Brits going to Spain for sun, sea and sand and coming back with heatstroke and a white stripe from where their watch has interrupted their crab-red tan; Athletic are not enjoying their English holiday this summer.

Granted, they had lost three pre-season games on the trot before even setting foot in the nation that has inexplicably appointed Paddington Bear as the angel of death. But twin-losses to Liverpool at Anfield will have done little to improve the collective mood. Maybe head coach Ernesto Valverde took them to the Beatles Museum afterwards?

Athletic Club’s misfortunes as they try and get into their groove for the upcoming campaign leave me fearing for them against Arteta’s side. But I do think they will get onto the scoresheet, something I explain in more depth below.

Total Goals - Over 3.5 @ 13/8

Arsenal’s pre-season games have gone one of two ways in terms of scorelines. There was a brace of 1-0 matches: a defeat to Spurs and a win over AC Milan (which Arsenal also sort-of lost on penalties. Don’t ask). They have also won and lost 3-2, beating Newcastle by a scoreline Villarreal would then defeat them with.

Which will we get this time? 1-0 to, or indeed against, the Arsenal? Or a smorgasbord of goals in a hare ‘em, scare ‘em affair? I fancy the latter.

Athletic Club may have had a rough time of it this pre-season, but they looked far better in their second clash with Liverpool than their first. Their second Anfield outing ended 3-2 to the Premier League champions. 

I think we get a similar game here. The visitors seem to be coming into some sort of match fitness. Arsenal are looking to be near their peak ahead of an opening day clash with Manchester United. I reckon we could be in for some goals.

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