Arsene Wenger will lead Arsenal on a pre-season tour of France, USA and then Scandinavia as the club prepares for the upcoming season of the Barclays Premier League.
Arsenal are to play 5 matches, not counting the annual match against Boreham Wood where Arsenal used Academy players and lost 3-0.
The tour has already been started but we’ll be seeing the likes of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Per Mertesacker and co. later on when the team travels to United States.
Arsenal will still be waiting for their best players to come back due to Euros and Copa America. Giroud, Koscielny, Özil, Ramsey, Alexis – all of them won’t be back until just before the start of the new season, the last one possibly even later due to ankle injury.
There won’t be any Emirates Cup this year due to pitch renovations (germination) and no Asia tour.
Arsenal will be starting their pre-season tour in Los Angeles against MLS All-Stars which will surely be a decent test. We’ll probably get to see new away kit as well – rumoured release date is 30th July. There’s one more match in the USA, against Mexican team Chivas de Guadalajara.
From America to Scandinavia, Arsenal will play two matches in Norway and Sweden. First one is against Norway team Viking FK and then their toughest game of the season in Sweden against Per Guardiola’s Manchester City. This fixture will show what the team is capable of and it’s possible we will see a glimpse of starting 11 that will face Liverpool a week later.
Here are all the Pre-Season matches.
RC LENS vs ARSENAL – 22/7
MLS ALL-STAR vs ARSENAL – 29/7
CHIVAS vs ARSENAL – 1/8
VIKING FK vs ARSENAL – 5/8
MANCHESTER CITY vs ARSENAL – 7/8
We have to remember all these are friendly matches, their main purpose is to try random players and combinations and get players up to match fitness. It’s frustrating that we don’t have all players available but what can you do?
And who knows, maybe if we do sign someone before the start of the new season, it will make these matches even more interesting.
Then the Gunners will face Liverpool for the first game of the Premier League season. The North London club have faced the Merseyside club twice last season and both ended in draws. If you think they will repeat the same scenario this season then William Hill football betting site is offering odds of 23/10.
