ARSENAL return to English soil TONIGHT with a tough pre-season fixture against German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are in the Gunners’ squad for the first time since returning from an extended break due to their summer represeting England at Euro 2024.
Arsenal have had an indifferent US tour, having drawn 2-2 with Bournemouth before beating bitter rivals Manchester United in LA.
But Mikel Arteta’s men concluded their Stateside schedule with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
- Kick off time: 6pm BST
- TV/Stream: Arsenal.com
- Arsenal team: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Vieira, Odegaard, Trossard, Havertz, Jesus
- Bayer Leverkusen team: Kovar, Hincapie, Tah, Kossounou, Wirtz, Terrier, Tapsoba, Adli, Garcia, Frimpong, Xhaka.
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No Calafiori as Saliba starts
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Havertz; Vieira, Jesus, Trossard
Subs: Ramsdale, Setford, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Partey, Rice, Nelson, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah
Credit: @Arsenal on X Return of the Xhak
The arrival of Bayer Leverkusen to the Emirates this evening means a welcome back to cult hero Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss midfielder often had a love-hate affair with the Arsenal faithful during his seven years with the North London club.
But his form in his final seasons with the Gunners won over many of his critics, and he is certain of a hero’s reception when he steps out again in front of the Arsenal supporters.
Xhaka was an instrumental figure in Leverkusen’s stunning 2023-24 campaign, playing in 50 of their 53 games in all competitions.
Arsenal’s pre-season so far
The Gunners are back from their tour of America, where they came up against three of their Premier League rivals – and finished with a win, a draw and a defeat to their name.
- 1-1 draw v Bournemouth in California (Vieira), July 25th
- 2-1 win v Man Utd in California (Jesus, Martinelli), July 28th
- 2-1 defeat v Liverpool in Pennsylvania (Havertz), Aug 1st
- Bayer Leverkusen (H), Aug 7th
- Lyon (H), Aug 11th
Good afternoon from the Emirates
Welcome to live SunSport coverage of the pre-season friendly between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen.
Yes, the Gunners are back on home soil for the first time this summer. and what better way to welcome back supporters than with a test against the Bundesliga champions.
Xabi Alonso’s eye-catching outfit took Europe by storm last season, finishing the domestic campaign unbeaten as they won league and cup.
In fact, the only match that the German side lost came in their penultimate contest, the Europa League final against Atalanta in Dublin.
As for Mikel Arteta and his squad, they have returned to pre-season with the aim of improving on consecutive runner-up finishes in the Premier League.
It’s a 6pm kick-off in the capital, and confirmation of the starting line-ups should be hitting the wires shortly.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
