Our final match of pre-season comes against Athletic Club as we look to put the final preparations in place ahead of the new Premier League season.
We picked up two victories from our three pre-season tour matches in Singapore and Hong Kong, and after returning to action in N5 against Villarreal, we’ll be hosting again on Saturday in the annual Emirates Cup clash.
Our opponents come from La Liga and as excitement builds ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, here’s all you need to know about Athletic Club.
The history
Athletic Club have a rich history with the beautiful game, having been founded on July 18, 1898. Based in Bilbao in the Basque Country, the Lions are widely known for their ‘Cantera’ policy, which focuses on bringing players through their famed academy system. Since 1911, the club has signed players exclusively from the region.
The club are a founding member of La Liga and one of three clubs to have never been relegated, alongside FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Lions have picked up eight league titles, the last coming in 1983/84.
Their last trophy came in 2023/24 when Athletic won the Copa del Rey, defeating Mallorca on penalties. This was the club’s 24th Copa del Rey crown, the second most of any side, and a first since 1984. They have also won the Supercopa de Espana on three occasions in 1984, 2015 and 2021.
The manager
Head coach Ernesto Valverde is an Athletic Club legend. The 61-year-old played for the club for six years having spent time at Alaves, Espanyol and FC Barcelona. Following retirement in 1997, he returned to the club as an assistant coach before taking charge of the reserve team in 2002. After one season, he was promoted for his first spell as Athletic Club’s head coach.
He departed in 2005, but returned to manage the Lions in 2013. During his four-year spell, he helped the club qualify for the Champions League before winning the side’s first trophy in 31 years, the Supercopa de Espana. He left in 2017 after becoming the longest-serving manager in the club’s history, managing 306 matches across his first two spells.
Valverde then spent three years at FC Barcelona but returned for his third spell at Athletic in 2022, where he has been ever since. He picked up the Copa del Rey trophy in 2024 before helping the side qualify for the Champions League once again in 2024/25.
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LAST Season
It was a promising season for Athletic Club, both domestically and in Europe. In La Liga, the Lions lost just six matches all season as Valverde’s side finished on 70 points, enough to qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League by finishing in fourth position.
Their biggest strength was their home form, losing just one match all season, a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid. In addition, the Lions netted 42 goals at San Mames, one of the best across the entire league.
Thanks to winning the Copa del Rey in 2024, Athletic Club qualified for the Europa League, with the final of the competition being held at Sam Mames. Athletic finished the league phase in second place, losing just one game. Valverde’s team then knocked out Roma and Rangers before being eliminated by Manchester United in the semi-finals.
SUMMER SO FAR
Athletic have said goodbye to captain Oscar de Marcos, who retired having played over 570 matches for the club. The armband has been passed onto Inaki Williams, making the Bilbao-born, Ghanaian international the first black captain of the historic club.
Transfer dealings have been fairly quiet, with right-back Jesus Areso arriving from Osasuna for £10 million, while right winger Robert Navarro signed on a free following his departure from Mallorca. As well as De Marcos, Javi Marton has been released, while Alvaro Djalo, Julen Agirrezabala and Hugo Rincon have left on loan.
Their friendly schedule saw them begin with a 1-0 win against Ponferradina, but since then they have suffered defeats against Alaves, PSV Eindhoven, Racing Santander and a double-header against Liverpool at Anfield – a 4-1 defeat that featured second-string players before a 3-2 loss that saw both sides field their strongest XI.
The squad
As explained, the Athletic Club’s squad is made up entirely of players born in the Basque Country, and their star man is Nico Williams, who scored in the Euro 2024 final against England last year – one of six goals in 28 caps for Spain.
It’s been a special summer for the Williams family, with Inaki’s brother, Nico, putting pen to paper on a 10-year contract extension. The winger has been a standout player for the Lions, finishing with 18 goals and assists across all competitions in 2024/25.
Elsewhere, Athletic Club have goalkeeper Unai Simon, who won the European Championships with Spain in 2024. The stopper won the Zamora Trophy last season as the best goalkeeper of the 2024/25 campaign.
Attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet finished as the club’s top scorer last season with 17 goals across all competitions, the highest of his career to date. There’s plenty of experience in the backline with vice-captains Yuri Berchiche, Inigo Lekue and Yeray Álvarez having made over 600 La Liga appearances combined.
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The previous meetings
This game will make history as we face Athletic Club for the first time ever. We have faced numerous La Liga sides in pre-season, with the first coming against Valencia in 1966 before facing Barcelona in 1973.
Since then, we have faced Barcelona in three further pre-season matches, as well as Real Mallorca, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Valencia once again, before adding Villarreal to the list on Wednesday night.
HOW TO WATCH
You can watch our final game of the 2025/26 pre-season campaign right here on Arsenal.com and the official app.
You can get an early bird pass to watch the game for just £4.99. This deal will finish at 9am on the day of the game and it will then be available to watch for £6.99.
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