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Arsenal conclude their pre-season preparations on home soil this evening as they take on La Liga outfit Athletic Club in the Emirates Cup. The club's annual summer competition will provide Gunners manager Mikel Arteta with one final chance to experiment with his tactics ahead of the Premier League opener away at Manchester United next weekend.
A summer that began with real promise has somewhat faded over the past week as performances in defeats to Tottenham and Villarreal have raised plenty of questions. While results are never the main focus in pre-season, the Gunners have suffered back-to-back losses so returning to winning ways could provide a welcome confidence boost ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.
This will be the first time Arsenal have ever faced the side from Bilbao and Arteta will hope to welcome back three senior players from injury as well as give another runout to big-money summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Simon Collings at the Emirates Stadium!
Side-lined trio of Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori may be fit in time to play a part despite missing varying durations of pre-season through injury including Wednesday’s loss to Villareal.
Gabriel Jesus, however, is expected to remain out as he continues to rehabilitate his ACL. That, in theory, should leave the path clear for Viktor Gyokeres to start a second straight match for the Gunners as the Swedish striker seeks his first Arsenal goal.
Fellow new arrival Christian Norgaard will hope his midweek goal against Villareal will boost his chances of starting again this weekend, while ex-Chelsea man Noni Madueke is also in the frame after coming off the bench in that game and could step in for Gabriel Martinelli. Norgaard faces comparatively more competition in the middle of the park, where the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino - the only man to play all 90 minutes on Wednesday - are all vying for game time.
As usual when he’s available, star man Bukayo Saka should occupy the right wing slot. Arsenal fans will be intrigued to see what role standout youngster Max Dowman plays going forward, meanwhile.
At the back, William Saliba should remain a mainstay in front of first-choice shot-stopper David Raya, and may be partnered by Jakub Kiwior or newcomer Cristhian Mosquera unless usual running mate Gabriel is deemed fit enough to start following his return from injury.
Ben White has started four matches in a row at right-back while positional rival Jurrien Timber recovered from injury, although the Dutchman appeared off the bench during the week. On the opposite flank, Myles Lewis-Skelly would appear to be the more likely starter as Calafiori eases back into action.
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Live stream: However, the action will be streamed live via Arsenal’s official website and app, with the club’s platform carrying replays and highlights as well.
Pay-per-view access is available starting at £4.99 on an early bird deal valid until 9am on Saturday; after that, on-the-day access will cost £6.99.
It’s set to be a balmy afternoon and then evening in north London as the Gunners complete their pre-season preparations ahead of the new Premier League season.