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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
How to watch Arsenal vs Athletic Club: Live stream and kick-off time for Emirates Cup
Arsenal take on Athletic Club in the Emirates Cup on Saturday. Mikel Arteta will know that there's still work to be done heading into a fresh Premier League campaign after a mixed-bag pre-season. The Gunners kicked off their summer preparations with a 1-0 win over AC Milan last month, before putting Newcastle to the sword in a 3-2 win days later. Arsenal were then beaten 1-0 by north London rivals Tottenham, before losing 3-2 to Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Ex-Arsenal winger, Nicolas Pepe, came back to haunt his former side during that match, finding the scoresheet alongside Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma to cancel out goals from new summer signing Christian Norgaard and skipper Martin Odegaard. Win Premier League Tickets to Chelsea v Crystal Palace or Man City v Tottenham Arsenal and Man Utd told they should have signed outgoing Liverpool star Arteta will have one last chance to tinker with his starting XI ahead of Arsenal's Premier League opener with Manchester United when the Gunners face Athletic Club on Saturday. And with many football fans nationwide hoping to tune in to watch the clash live, Mirror Football breaks down everything you need to know... When and where is Arsenal vs Athletic Club Arsenal face Athletic Club on Saturday evening, with the Emirates Cup final being hosted at the Emirates Stadium. Kick-off is at 5pm BST. How to watch Arsenal vs Athletic Club While a generous home attendance is expected for Arsenal's Emirates Cup clash with Athletic Club, football fans across the UK will also be able to tune in from the comfort of their own homes. That's because will show the full 90-minute clash. A pass to watch the game will set fans back £6.99, and it can also be watched on the official Arsenal app. Repeat showings of the fixture will also be shown every three hours after full time. What is the Emirates Cup? Founded in 2007, the Emirates Cup is an annual fixture hosted by Arsenal to cap off their pre-season preparations for the Premier League. Always hosted at the Emirates Stadium, the competition is a low-stakes exhibition and doesn't carry any official recognition like the FA Cup or the EFL Cup. Arsenal have won the game on eight occasions, with their last title coming in the form of a 2-0 win over Lyon last summer. Other clubs that have competed in the competition include Real Madrid, Sevilla, Monaco and PSG. Arsenal's pre-season schedule Here's a look at Arsenal's pre-season schedule this summer: Arsenal 1-0 AC Milan - At Singapore National Stadium on July 23 Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle United - At Singapore National Stadium on July 27 Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur - At Kai Tak Sports Park on July 31 Arsenal 2-3 Villarreal - At the Emirates Stadium on August 6 Arsenal vs Athletic Club - At the Emirates Stadium on August 9 Following their Emirates Cup match, Arsenal will turn their attention to their Premier League opener with Manchester United at Old Trafford, which is scheduled for Sunday, August 17 at 4.30pm. The game will be shown on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 4pm onwards. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal 2-3 Villarreal: Nicolas Pepe scores on Emirates return as Gunners lose again in pre-season
Arsenal tasted defeat for the second match running on Wednesday evening as they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal at the Emirates. The visitors came into the affair winless in four pre-season outings, but fought hard for their first victory of the summer, defending valiantly under heavy pressure for much of the match. The Gunners had hoped for a confidence-lifting outing as they made their grand return to the Emirates after spending two weeks touring Asia, but were frustrated as they fell to an unlikely two-goal deficit after half an hour by way of goals from Nicolas Pepe and Edouard Eyong. Christian Norgaard headed home for his first Arsenal goal before half-time, but Arnaut Danjuma's second-half strike put the result well out of the hosts' reach, with Martin Odegaard's 76th-minute penalty a mere consolation. Viktor Gyokeres showed some signs of promise as he made his first start, but will need more time to bed in with his new team-mates ahead of the new Premier League campaign. Noni Madueke also got his first taste of Arsenal action with a brief second-half cameo, injecting some fresh energy into the side but ultimately falling short in the push for a late equaliser. Arsenal started the match positively, going close through Bukayo Saka in the early stages, but could not convert their pressure into clear-cut chances as they gave goalkeeper Luiz Júnior little to worry about. Their wasteful possession was soon punished. Former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe, who left the Emirates under a cloud in 2023 after failing to live up to the weight of his £72million price tag, hit a poacher's goal to open the scoring against the run of play. William Saliba failed to deal with a low cross, which bobbled across the area for the Frenchman to fire home from close range. Despite trailing, Arsenal were unperturbed and continued to press on in search of an opener, keeping their guests very much under the cosh. But history repeated itself. Raya was unlucky as his save from Gerard Moreno's shot was deflected perfectly into Eyong's path, and he finished to double Villarreal's lead. Christian Norgaard headed home from a Gabriel Martinelli corner moments later to perpetuate Arsenal's reliance on set-pieces and halve the deficit, but the Gunners trailed at the break. The direction of play was not much changed in the second half, as Arsenal continued to attack in droves. Gyokeres forced another good save from Junior before being withdrawn, ending his full Arsenal debut goalless. It took just one second-half chance for Villarreal to extend their lead. A lightning counter-attack from the Yellow Submarine set Danjuma free into a one-on-one against Kepa Arrizabalaga, who could not keep out the former Tottenham man's cross-goal finish. Odegaard's late penalty, won by Dowman, inspired a desperate pursuit of an equaliser as the match dwindled, but despite the Gunners' full-scale assault on Villarreal, the Spaniards held firm. The evening went from bad to worse for Arsenal after the match in a novelty penalty shootout, during which Madueke and Gabriel both saw efforts saved as the Gunners were beaten again.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal player ratings vs Villarreal: Viktor Gyokeres shows signs of promise despite losing in first start
Arsenal suffered their second defeat of pre-season in a row as they were beaten by Villarreal at Emirates Stadium. The visitor went 2-0 up through former Gunners winger Nicolas Pepe and Karl Etta Eyong, but Christian Norgaard pulled a goal back before half-time. Arsenal controlled a lot of the possession, however they were hit on the counter as Arnaut Danjuma restored Villarreal's two-goal lead. Martin Odegaard reduced the deficit by scoring a penalty, which was won by Max Dowman, but Villarreal held on to claim a 3-2 Raya 6 Will be disappointed with the two goals he conceded as Villarreal players were allowed to poke home rebounds. Ben White 6 Started for the fourth game in a row in pre-season and looks sharp. Overlapped a few times and caused problems. William Saliba 7 Solid as ever and Arsenal's best defender in the game. The defence has looked suspect at times in pre-season, but the Frenchman has still performed well. Jakub Kiwior 5 Shaky at times and was brushed off too easily by Pepe for the opening goal. Struggled with Villarreal's pace on the break. Myles Lewis-Skelly 6 Played much more centrally in the second half and involvement in the game grew. Still looks to be getting up to speed. Ethan Nwaneri 7 One of Arsenal's better players in the first half and looked bright whenever he got on the ball. Christian Norgaard 7 Got on the scoresheet by heading home at the back post from a corner. Broke up the play well during a solid performance. Mikel Merino 6 Neat and tidy, but nothing spectacular. Created a decent opening for Gyokeres with a good through-ball. Bukayo Saka 6 Drew a save in the first half after a run and cut in from the right. Linked up nicely with White at times. Viktor Gyokeres 6 Handed his first start and was quiet. Will take time to get on the same wavelength as his new team-mates, as more than once he made runs and wasn't found. Gabriel Martinelli 5 Has not got going in pre-season and this was another frustrating performance. Assisted Norgaard's goal with a corner, but in open play his final ball was lacking. Substitutions Martin Zubimendi (Norgaard 46') 7 Looks like such a classy player. Played some great passes and oozed composure. Cristhian Mosquera (White 46') 6 Spent 15 minutes at right-back before moving to the heart of defence. Martin Odegaard (Gyokeres 63') 7 Slotted his penalty by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Helped lift the tempo and combined well with Dowman. Max Dowman (Saka 63') 7 Just ridiculous that he is 15. Looked really bright and won a penalty with a deft flick. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Raya 63') 6 Arguably should have come off his line to close down Danjuma for his goal, but it was a good finish. Jurrien Timber (Saliba 63') 6 Made his first appearance since May and did okay considering the lack of game time. Gabriel (Kiwior 63') 6 Understandably rusty after months out of action. Got some valuable minutes under his belt. Declan Rice (Nwaneri 63') 6 Added some athleticism to the midfield as Arsenal chased down a late equaliser. Noni Madueke (Martinelli 77') N/A Oleksandr Zinchenko (Lewis-Skelly 77') N/A Subs not used: Setford, Lokonga, Harriman-Annous
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal: Work to do as Villarreal defeat exposes 'naive' weaknesses
Arsenal were handed their second defeat of pre-season as they were beaten by Villarreal. The Spanish side ran out 3-2 winners at Emirates Stadium, thanks to goals from former Gunners winger Nicolas Pepe, Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma. Arsenal hit back through efforts from Christian Norgaard and Martin Odegaard, but it was not enough to stop them falling to a will take time to adapt to Gyokeres One of Arsenal's new signings was on the scoresheet on Wednesday evening; it was just not the player those inside Emirates Stadium expected. Fans had arrived eager to get their first glimpse of Viktor Gyokeres, but instead it was Norgaard who found the net. The Danish midfielder headed home at the back post midway through the first half after Gabriel Martinelli's corner found him unmarked. It was the sort of chance Gyokeres would have loved to have been presented with, however, he largely had to feed off scraps. The Swede's best opportunity came just before he was taken off around the hour mark, when a through-ball from Mikel Merino found him in the box. Gyokeres was quick to get his shot off, but from a tight angle, Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior was able to keep it out. Other than that, Gyokeres was largely quiet as he made his first start for Arsenal. That was not due to a lack of effort and, more than once, he made runs in behind - but his team-mates did not find him. Clearly, it will take time for Arsenal to get used to the way their new No9 plays. Dowman shines, again If there was one clear positive for Mikel Arteta after this defeat, it was the performance of Max Dowman. The 15-year-old has enjoyed a, quite frankly, remarkable pre-season, and he was impressive again in this defeat to Villarreal. Handed 30 minutes off the bench, Dowman looked so sharp, beating defenders for fun and causing problems. It was Dowman who won the penalty, which Odegaard slotted home, deftly turning in the box to draw a foul. Arsenal will want to control the hype around Dowman, given he is so young that he will not be taking his GCSEs until next summer. It will become increasingly hard to, however, when the teenager keeps putting in performances like this one. Dowman looked at home on such a stage, playing at Emirates Stadium with the first team for the first time. Arteta unhappy with defensive display Arteta labelled Arsenal's defending as 'naive' in this defeat, and it certainly not in keeping with their usual displays. For Villarreal's opening goal, Jakub Kiwior was muscled off the ball too easily at the back post as Pepe scored. The visitors' second also came after some sloppy defending and this time Eyong was on hand to fire home a rebound. The third, and ultimately winning goal, was a result of Arsenal being hit on the counter, as former Tottenham forward Danjuma arrowed a strike into the bottom corner. This was the third pre-season game in a row that Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet and they have been uncharacteristically shaky at the back. The change in personnel has not helped, with Gabriel only getting his first minutes of pre-season during the second half here. Cristhian Mosquera summed up the experimentation, with his 45 minutes split between right-back and the heart of defence. Arteta will hope a settled backline, perhaps on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao, will bring better results.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Viktor Gyökeres labours as Arsenal fall short against Villarreal and Pépé
New season, same old Arsenal? On an evening when Viktor Gyökeres was meant to announce himself as the solution to all of Mikel Arteta's problems, instead it was a figure from Arsenal's past who stole the show. At £72m – £8m more than they may end up paying for the Sweden striker – Nicolas Pépé was an expensive Arsenal signing, a few months before Arteta replaced Unai Emery in 2019. Most of the fans who packed out the Emirates Stadium for this pre-season friendly will not have many fond memories of the Ivory Coast international's spell in north London, but he clearly had a point to prove here. Pépé's early goal and strikes from Karl Etta Eyong and the former Tottenham loanee Arnaut Danjuma sealed an impressive win for Villarreal, and left Arteta with plenty of questions to resolve before Arsenal's opening game of the season next weekend against Manchester United. Gyökeres, who is the headline act of a spending spree that could exceed £200m, looked short of match fitness as he toiled up front for 62 minutes. Only the introduction of the 15‑year‑old Max Dowman for his first senior appearance at the Emirates Stadium could lift the mood as he won a penalty that allowed Martin Ødegaard to make the scoreline more respectable. But there were more reasons to be fearful for Arsenal's fans as they aim to improve on finishing as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season. There had been a sense of anticipation in the late summer air as they queued patiently at the club shop before kick‑off, with several already sporting Gyökeres's new replica No 14 shirt. Having made his debut last week as a substitute against Spurs in their 1-0 defeat in Hong Kong, the Sweden striker is still playing catch‑up having stayed away from pre-season with Sporting as he attempted to force through his move. But he was included in a strong starting lineup, with Ethan Nwaneri deputising for Ødegaard alongside the new signing Christian Nørgaard and Mikel Merino in midfield. The match programme featured pictures of all six of Arsenal's summer arrivals on the cover, with Martín Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga on the bench. Arteta used his programme notes to express his belief they 'will add quality and depth to the squad, which is what we are going to need throughout the season'. Arteta added: 'We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season – there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that. We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.' It was Nwaneri, who has signed a new contract this summer, who caught the eye early on. A cross from Merino that was meant for the forehead of Gyökeres instead found Bukayo Saka at the back post and he could not direct the ball on target. But with only Gabriel Magalhães missing from his first-choice back four, Arteta will be concerned with how easily Villarreal established a 2-0 lead. Pépé, who joined Villarreal last year on a free transfer and is set to be joined by the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey after he agreed an initial one-year deal, was unlucky when his shot came back off the post before he eventually forced the ball past David Raya when Arsenal failed to clear. The Spaniard was left fuming with his defence when Etta Eyong doubled the Spanish side's lead just after the half-hour, although Nørgaard immediately pulled one back from a corner. Like last season when they struggled from a lack of creativity, that seemed to be Arsenal's best chance of scoring as Gyökeres was forced to live off scraps before the break. Mosquera and Zubimendi were summoned for the second half and there was an immediate improvement. Gyökeres finally had a sight of goal when played in by Merino but his shot was well saved by Luiz Júnior. It needed Dowman, who has been hailed as a 'special talent' by Arteta despite his tender years, to save some face after Danjuma had raced clear to make it 3-1, although Madueke missed the decisive penalty in a post‑match shootout. 'Max is moving so fast – even last year when he was training with us, he was doing these kind of things and now he is doing them in the games,' Arteta said. 'The efficiency he shows in every attacking action is incredible and he deserves more chances.' On Gyökeres, Arteta said: 'Every day in training he is getting a really good feeling and connection with all the other players who are going to help him. He hasn't trained for a team for two months and, on Saturday, he will take another step and be in a very good position.'
