Arsenal gave Manchester City a real run for their money last season, leading the title race for large parts of the season before finishing five points behind the Champions. This Summer they've shown they mean business with the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, with deals expected to be agreed for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber as well.
The early activity is no coincidence. Mikel Arteta is keen to integrate all of his new signings into his squad before the start of Arsenal's pre-season matches. The schedule gives the Gunners two separate training camps as well as five friendlies before the Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley. Whilst he was preparing his team last season to achieve Champions League football, Arteta is intent on winning the title this time around.
First up for Arsenal is a week at Adidas HQ in Germany. They'll start their pre-season training there, with Gabriel Martinelli, Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba all expected to take part having missed the end of last season through injury. As part of the training camp, Arsenal will take on Nurenburg, a second-tier German side, on Thursday 13th July.
The 2. Bundesliga side hosted the Gunners last year, with Arteta's side winning 5 - 3 in an entertaining friendly. It'll provide minutes for the players who haven't had many towards the end of the season and get the first-team regulars back to match fitness. Last year's fixture was an especially good start for Gabriel Jesus, who scored twice on his unofficial debut.
After a week of training in Germany, including the game at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, the Gunners head Stateside where they'll provide the opposition for the MLS All-Star game on the 20th July in Washington D.C. As well as the match itself, they'll also play an "All-Star challenge" which involves skill games and a crossbar challenge.
The skill challenge doesn't hold much value for the Gunners; it's very much the equivalent of MLB's Home Run Derby, which whilst an entertaining spectacle for the fans, doesn't really provide much help to Arsenal's pre-season preparations. The most important thing is to give the first-team players some match minutes to build their match fitness ahead of the Premier League season.
The All-Star game itself isn't much more than a warm-up for Arsenal either. Just three days later, Arteta's side head to New York to take on Premier League rivals Manchester United at MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL's New York Jets and New York Giants.
Playing Premier League opponents, even if it is just a friendly in the USA, will give Arsenal a far better test than the All-Star game. Arteta will likely put out a strong team, providing himself an opportunity to look at some of the new stars; Kai Havertz has already signed, whilst deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are progressing very well.
And for the fans, it's always fun to watch Arsenal vs Manchester United. The old rivals served up two thrillers last season, featuring VAR drama, feisty tackles and nine goals, including a screamer each from Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford. It will be a fantastic advert for the Premier League in the USA.
Four days after an advert for the Premier League, Arsenal will put on an advert for the Champions League as they take on Barcelona at Stan Kroenke's Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles. Barcelona are embarking on a similar tour of the USA to Arsenal, and the two European giants will go head to head to round off their tours on the 26th July in LA.
The two clubs have a good relationship, having played in pre-season in two of the past four seasons and negotiating high-profile transfer deals for big players such as Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Alexis Sanchez. The two sides could potentially meet in the group stages of the Champions League, so this will be an excellent opportunity for both sides to test themselves against another top European side. We can only hope for another legendary encounter between them.
Shortly after returning from America, Arsenal welcome Monaco for their first fixture at the Emirates Stadium in the new season. Gunners fans will be hoping to get a look at some new signings as the Premier League side look to retain the Emirates Cup, their pre-season trophy, on Wednesday 2nd August.
Monaco ought to provide a good level of opposition for Arsenal; they're a team Arteta will expect to beat, but one good enough that his side will have to play properly to retain the trophy. Sevilla were the opponents last year and were beaten 6 - 0 by a stunning Gunners display, including a hat-trick for Gabriel Jesus on his unofficial home debut.
Arsenal then wrap up their pre-season with the Community Shield at Wembley against Champions Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side won both the FA Cup and Premier League as part of their historic treble, and so Arsenal, as runners-up in the Premier League, go to Wembley to take on City on 6th August.
Arteta will be delighted to get such a fixture early in the season. The Gunners can put their new-look midfield to the test against the best team in the world, as Arsenal look to eclipse City to the title this season. Arteta and Guardiola will get an early look at each other's teams before they begin their respective seasons the following weekend.
The fixtures get progressively more difficult for Arsenal whilst they're out in the USA, and the pre-season schedule concludes with a blockbuster against Manchester City at Wembley. The Premier League season then gets underway for Arteta's side on Saturday 12th August at home to Nottingham Forest.
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