Arsenal’s pre-season steps into the public eye this weekend as they travel to Girona, with Ben White, Jurrien Timber and three players fresh from World Cup duty all included in the squad.
Arsenal’s preparations for their Premier League title defence move up a gear on Saturday, as Mikel Arteta’s side face Girona in their first pre-season fixture open to supporters.
Arteta’s squad have already enjoyed a 3-0 win over MK Dons in a closed-doors match at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, with goals from Reiss Nelson, Ethan Nwaneri and academy forward Ceadach O’Neill. Now, though, the trip to Spain offers fans their first real glimpse of the evolving squad in action.
This friendly is part of Arsenal’s warm-weather camp in Catalonia and will be contested for the 49th Costa Brava Trophy. It also marks the first of four public pre-season fixtures before the Community Shield against Manchester City on August 16, with Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como all to come.
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Kick-off: 7pm BST / 8pm local time
Venue: Estadi Montilivi, Girona
Competition: 49th Costa Brava Trophy
Arsenal return to familiar territory at Montilivi, the scene of their 2-1 Champions League win in January 2025. That night, Arnaut Danjuma gave Girona the lead, but Jorginho’s penalty and a fine finish from Ethan Nwaneri turned the game around.
Ben White has made the trip, having spent much of the summer working his way back from injury.
Timber, meanwhile, struggled with a groin issue late last season. He made a brief return as a substitute in the Champions League final, but then pulled out of the Netherlands squad to focus on his recovery. His inclusion in Spain was initially a positive sign for the Gunners, but the Dutch international has since left the camp in Spain to return to London for a check up for his on-going groin issue.
Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie have all linked up with the squad following their World Cup campaigns. With their pre-season starts delayed, the Gunners may manage their minutes, but each could play a part against Girona.
New arrivals Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier are also part of the travelling party and could make their first public outings in Arsenal colours. Both played in the win over MK Dons, with Tzolis making an immediate impact by setting up Nelson’s opener.
With many internationals still on staggered returns, the squad features a strong academy presence. Max Dowman, Marli Salmon, Ceadach O’Neill and Demiane Agustien are all hoping to catch the eye, while returning loanees Nelson and Fabio Vieira have another chance to impress Arteta.
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are all still on post-World Cup breaks after helping England reach the latter stages of the tournament and will link back up with the squad later in pre-season.
Girona, meanwhile, are adjusting to life back in Spain’s second tier after suffering relegation from La Liga last season.
Quique Álvarez has stepped up from the reserves to take charge on a one-year deal, replacing Míchel after Girona’s drop from the top flight. He’s been tasked with mounting an immediate promotion push and has spoken about bringing back the team’s identity and courage on the ball.
Girona kicked off their pre-season on July 8 and should be ahead of the Gunners in terms of fitness. They’ve already faced Olot and Alavés, with a meeting against Castellón still to come before the Gunners arrive in town.
Paulo Gazzaniga, Arnau Martínez, Álex Moreno, Fran Beltrán, Donny van de Beek, Bryan Gil and Cristhian Stuani are among the recognised senior players available to Álvarez.
Yáser Asprilla, Portu, Vladyslav Vanat, Jastin García and Alejandro Francés all started pre-season on individual recovery plans, so their availability for the Arsenal game will depend on how they progress this week.
Girona’s extra match sharpness could make this a valuable first test for Arsenal, especially with Arteta likely to rotate his squad and carefully manage the minutes of players coming back from injury or international duty.
The match will be shown live and exclusively through Arsenal.com and the official Arsenal app.
Fans can watch Arsenal’s pre-season matches with a summer streaming pass, available at an early-bird price of £9.99. Coverage starts ahead of the 7pm BST kick-off.
Prediction
In these early weeks of pre-season, results are rarely the main focus, and both managers are expected to make plenty of changes throughout the game.
Girona might have the edge in fitness, but Arsenal’s squad should have enough quality to assert themselves as the match wears on. All eyes will be on the fitness of White and Timber, the first public outings for the summer signings, and which academy players can catch Arteta’s eye.