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Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen: Gunners take on Bundesliga champions in penultimate friendly

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen: Gunners take on Bundesliga champions in penultimate friendly

The Emirates Stadium is set to witness a mouth-watering contest on Wednesday evening as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal lock horns with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

The upcoming fixture marks the culmination of Arsenal’s tour of the United States, which offered a mixed bag of results.

The Gunners kicked things off with a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth before securing a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over historical rivals Manchester United at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

However, they concluded their US tour with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Lincoln Financial Field and will be looking to step things up against the Bundesliga champions.

The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story as Arteta’s side put in a spirited performance against Arne Slot’s Reds.

They dominated possession but struggled in the final third. They were guilty of lacking inventiveness and ideas, creating just one big chance compared to Liverpool’s three.

Leverkusen will represent another stern test for Arteta’s side. The German champions settled for a share of the spoils in a highly entertaining 2-2 draw against Ligue 1 upstarts RC Lens last time out.

After taking on Die Wekself, Arsenal will conclude their pre-season preparations by welcoming French giants Olympique Lyon to the Emirates.

Despite missing out on the Premier League title twice in a row against an unrelenting Manchester City side, there is a renewed air of optimism swirling across the Emirates.

Ahead of another potential title challenge, fans have already begun flocking to seatsnet.com to purchase Arsenal tickets at unbeatable prices.

There is palpable anticipation for the start of the 2024/25 campaign, with Arsenal set to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in their curtain raiser on August 17.

Match preview

Arteta has previously claimed that Arsenal will need to be flawless in 2024/25 to overthrow Pep Guardiola’s side and clinch their first Premier League title since 2004.

However, the north Londoners were brought back down to earth with a defeat against their Premier League rivals Liverpool, who would also fancy their chances of another title tilt after falling by the wayside last term.

Arsenal were still missing a number of their key players due to international commitments, but they fielded a strong starting line-up against Liverpool.

The Reds were spearheaded by former Fulham prodigy Harvey Elliott.

The 21-year-old orchestrated Liverpool’s dominance in the early stages, setting up Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah to give Slot’s side a commanding 2-0 lead.

Kai Havertz pulled one back for Arteta’s side five minutes before the break, but Liverpool’s resolute defence proved impenetrable in the second half.

Arsenal were punished for their lack of ruthlessness at Lincoln Financial Field.

The defeat marks a rare blemish on their otherwise impressive pre-season campaign, which saw them secure victories over Preston North End and Man United on either side of a draw with Bournemouth.

However, the defeat to Liverpool served as a timely reminder of the challenges that lie ahead as the Gunners bid to challenge Man City for the Premier League title.

As the Gunners return to familiar surroundings at the Emirates, they will be looking to regroup and put in an improved display against Leverkusen ahead of their final pre-season test against Lyon.

Xabi Alonso will welcome the chance to duel with Arteta in north London, with both managers familiar with each other from their playing days.

The former Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid midfielder returns to English soil as the mastermind behind a Leverkusen side that mirrored Arsenal’s Invincibles’ feat of a decade and a half ago.

Alonso led Die Wekself to their first-ever Bundesliga title and a DFB-Pokal despite stepping into a senior managerial role just two years ago.

Leverkusen stormed to the league title, dropping just 12 points, and clinched the DFB-Pokal with a dramatic victory over German second-division side Kaiserslautern.

However, their dreams of a first-ever treble faded into despair as Ademola Lookman single-handedly dismantled them with a sublime hat-trick to hand Atalanta the Europa League title.

The euphoric highs of the previous season also saw Leverkusen establish a new record for the longest unbeaten run in European football history.

However, they’ve endured a somewhat subdued start to 2024/25.

Alonso’s men edged past Rot-Weiss Essen before being held to a thrilling 2-2 draw against RC Lens. They took the lead twice, only to throw it away on both occasions.

Arsenal will be their strongest test yet, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping his side can step up their preparations ahead of their final pre-season fixture against Real Betis on August 10.

Arsenal’s upcoming clash against Leverkusen will be a reunion of sorts. The two sides have only met twice during the 2001/02 Champions League.

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal emerged victorious on aggregate, but with Alonso’s tactical acumen and Leverkusen’s newfound confidence, the Londoners face a stern test.

Team news & potential line-ups

Arsenal have strengthened their defensive options with the £42 million purchase of versatile Italian centre-back Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.

The 22-year-old could be in line for his unofficial Gunners debut on Wednesday when Arsenal host Leverkusen at the Emirates, although Arteta has warned that Calafiori will be eased into the first team.

The North London outfit have also welcomed back a host of players who made it to the final of this summer’s European Championship, including Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya, and William Saliba. They’re all expected to feature.

Arsenal will be without Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, which could pave the way for some of the club’s promising academy talents to make the squad.

Young starlets like Ayden Heaven, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have all been given ample opportunities to impress Arteta this summer, but they’ll likely start the game on the bench.

Arteta is expected to name a strong squad to face Leverkusen as the Gunners reach the business end of their pre-season campaign.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen are awaiting the return of full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo from their post-Euro 2024 vacations.

Defensive stalwart Jonathan Tah has been the subject of intense speculation, which has linked him with a move to Bayern Munich.

However, negotiations with Vincent Kompany’s side appear to have stalled, and the German bulldozer is expected to feature against Arsenal despite ongoing transfer rumours.

The most eye-catching narrative of the upcoming showdown will be a reunion for former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka, who enjoyed a resurgence at the Emirates before his move to Germany.

The Swiss maestro was a vital cog in Leverkusen’s midfield and is expected to receive a warm welcome on his return to the Emirates.

Arsenal potential starting line-up:

(4-3-3): Karl Hein; Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz; Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.

Bayer Leverkusen potential starting line-up:

(3-4-2-1): Lucas Hradecky; Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah, Pierro Hincapie; Nathan Tella, Aleix Garcia, Granit Xhaka, Jeanuel Belocian; Florian Wirtz, Martin Terrier; Victor Boniface.

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