Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal Bet Builder Tips, Stats, Best Bets, Predictions

Target man Maroan Sannadi provides a physical presence at centre forward for Athletic Bilbao and the 24-year-old likes to use his robust frame to unsettle opposing defenders.

Sannadi has been committing a sizable 2.78 fouls per 90 minutes in La Liga this season and in terms of overall free kicks conceded, the striker ranks joint-first at the club in the Spanish top tier so far with five.

Athletic’s frontman put up similar numbers across the entire 2024/25 campaign, though Sannadi was particularly bristly in European fixtures, committing 14 fouls and collecting three yellow cards in just five runouts in the Europa League.

Sannadi, who has fouled at least once in 100% of his appearances since the summer, gave away six free kicks across two Europa League semi-final appearances against Manchester United in May, and we expect him to throw himself into challenges with just as much ferocity here. Look for Sannadi to beat a target of 2+ fouls against Arsenal.

Athletic Bilbao’s vulnerability during defensive set-pieces was evident during that UEL double-header with Manchester United in May, so the Premier League’s prime dead-ball specialists Arsenal should be a real threat on Tuesday when they roll out their set-play routines.

The Gunners’ aerial prowess is well documented and any one of their towering defenders would be a solid shot-market selection in Bilbao. However, we like the look of Jurrien Timber in the 1+ shot stakes at a generous-looking price of 1.91.

Remarkably, only two Arsenal players have clocked more shots in total in the Premier League than Timber since the summer. The Dutchman, who has been averaging 1.71 shots per 90 minutes, is a genuine menace when visiting the opponent’s penalty box and the 24-year-old can threaten again on Tuesday.

Athletic Bilbao conceded headed goals in both legs when they last faced an English side in Europe (Man Utd in May), and another header when they were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in a summer friendly. The Gunners can prey on the same weaknesses here, with Timber backed to lead the charge.

Summer recruit Viktor Gyokeres will represent Arsenal in Europe for the first time on Tuesday, and though the Swede is likely to feature in plenty of shot-market selections in Bilbao, we’re backing the 27-year-old to make a bigger impact in the fouls-drawn stakes instead.

Gyokeres has already scored three times for the Gunners despite having relatively few efforts on goal, in fact, the Swedish international’s fouls-drawn figure is higher than his shots on goal tally in the Premier League so far.

The striker has mustered only six attempts in total since August, though he has been fouled seven times, making him the Gunners’ most-fouled player in the early exchanges of the 2025/26 campaign.

Gyokeres has been fouled 2.06 times per 90 minutes in the Premier League overall and we expect the hulking centre forward to draw more attention from an aggressive Athletic backline here.

Last season, beaten semi-finalists Athletic Bilbao committed more fouls in total (204) than any other team in the Europa League, so don’t be surprised if they rattle into challenges on Tuesday evening.

Gyokeres is as likely as anyone to be in the firing line, so back the number 14 to draw 2+ fouls for the fourth time in five appearances for Arsenal.

Martin Zubimendi was signed to be a stabilising force in midfield for Arsenal, though the silky Spaniard has shown that he also has a more adventurous side to his game, and the 26-year-old could be an under-the-radar shot-market prospect on Tuesday.

Zubimendi, who scored a brace against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, has been averaging 1.26 shots per 90 minutes since his move to the Premier League and has only failed to register an attempt on goal in one of his four appearances for the Gunners overall.
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The midfielder, who is a Basque native, will also be determined to shine when he returns to his homeland on Tuesday. Zubimendi came through the ranks at Real Sociedad, who of course, are Athletic Club’s bitter rivals, so expect the midfielder to play with maximum motivation.

Zubimendi’s double against Forest on Saturday, which included a sensational first-half volley, will have sharpened his confidence and the playmaker offers plenty of value to lodge just a single shot on Tuesday at a price of 1.50.