It won’t be long now, until Arsenal gets to start the quest to end the “almost men” narrative. Saturday brings a visit from Athletic Club, and with it the second of the two Emirates Cup clashes. Both of these friendlies happen to be against Spanish opposition, and they provide the final tune-ups before the games start to actually count. Arsenal have finished runners-up the past three seasons, so the hunger is certainly there to finally close the deal this time around.
But that’s the big picture goal, the long term view. In the short term, versus Bilbao, the micro, it’s just about making sure no one else gets hurt on Saturday.
Emirates Cup FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Athletic Club
Arsenal Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Kickoff time: 5pm GMT, Wednesday Aug 9
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Obviously, they would also like to try and get as many guys back fit, and back in the flow with one another, as early as possible. With that all said, the first team kind of just picks itself here; I guess.
Arsenal Starting Lineup Prediction vs Athletic Club
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice; Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter