Arsenal will face French side Olympique Lyonnais in the Emirates Cup as part of their final friendly of their pre-season preparations. The Gunners are fresh off a dominant 4-1 victory against Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week and will be hoping to end their pre-season on a positive note. Arsenal will face Lyon on August 11 at 2:00 pm (British Summer Time) at the Emirates Stadium.
Team News
Apart from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, who are injured, Arsenal are expected to have their full squad available for the clash. After being given an extended vacation following their involvement in the recently concluded UEFA Euros and Copa America, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and David Raya all returned and played a part against Leverkusen.
Mikel Arteta has expressed his desire for new signing Riccardo Calafiori to make his debut, and it is likely that he will start this game.
Match Preview
Lyon had a terrible start to their league campaign last season. They were rock bottom in 18th position in Ligue 1 after 14 games, with only a single victory. The club saw two managers sacked before the end of the year, but interim head coach Pierre Sage brought stability back. They finished their season on a strong note, losing just two of their last 15 games to secure a respectable sixth position.
Arsenal will be aiming to end their pre-season campaign with a victory, with the Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers roughly a week away. Arsenal have a successful head-to-head record against Lyon, winning two of their three previous meetings. However, Lyon are the last foreign side to have won the Emirates Cup, making them a tough team to beat.
Predicted Starting Lineup
Arteta is expected to start a full-strength team in their final pre-season game. Calafiori is likely to make his debut for the Gunners. Additionally, with a striker unlikely to be signed this window, Arteta’s usage of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will be particularly intriguing.
Predicted Lineup: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
