Barcelona confirm Arsenal friendly will go ahead after fears it could be cancelled
Barcelona have confirmed that their friendly against Arsenal will go ahead despite fears it could be cancelled.
The Spanish club had their match against Juventus on Saturday cancelled after a significant part of their squad were struck down with viral gastroenteritis.
However, the Arsenal game scheduled for Wednesday will go ahead as planned, and Ilkay Gundogan has sent a message to the fans ahead of his potential unofficial debut for his new club.
The Germany international midfielder joined Barca earlier this summer after his contract at Manchester City expired.
Arsenal were keen on Gundogan but he opted to join the La Liga side instead and will be looking forward to playing against them on Wednesday.
The Gunners have played four friendly games so far this summer, and manager Mikel Arteta will hope his side can bounce back against Barcelona after their 2-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday.
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Watford and Nurnberg before winning 5-0 against MLS All-Stars in their first game of their pre-season tour of the United States.
They face AS Monaco on August 2 in the Emirates Cup before their FA Community Shield match with Man City on August 6.
Arsenal kick off the 2023-24 Premier League campaign on August 12 against Nottingham Forest and will hope to start the season on a winning note.
While the results of the pre-season games are not very significant, they come in handy in helping the North London club prepare for the new season.
Barca are a top side and Arsenal will need to be on top of their game against the La Liga champions following their disappointing game against the Red Devils.
