Arsenal face Girona in a pre-season friendly this evening
With just under three weeks to go until kicking off the defence of their Premier League crown, Arsenal continue their pre-season preparations this evening against Girona. The Gunners have played one summer friendly thus far, beating MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors match at the training ground last weekend, but a step up in quality from the opposition is expected at the Estadi Montilivi.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta can give summer signings Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier another runout, but has to make a decision over Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli after they returned to training this week following World Cup duty, though Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie should get some minutes under their belts as the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman aim to impress again.
Girona faced the Gunners in the Champions League 18 months ago, but have since suffered the agony of relegation from LaLiga to the second division in Spain. To give this friendly some extra spice, their squad includes former Tottenham players Paulo Gazzaniga and Bryan Gil as well as ex-Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek. Follow Girona vs Arsenal LIVE below with our dedicated match blog.
Arsenal team news: White could feature
Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli are expected to join up with the squad ahead of the match but they are unlikely to play a significant role after only limited training.
Ben White could feature for what would be his first minutes since suffering a knee injury that brought a premature end to last season.
TV channel and live stream: In the UK, the game will not be televised live. Fans can take in the action on Arsenal’s website and app.
A pay-per-view pass can be purchased for the match, worth £6.99.
Alternatively, supporters can buy a streaming bundle covering Arsenal’s full pre-season campaign for £14.99.
Live coverage: You can follow all the action right here via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Girona vs Arsenal LIVE
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Girona vs Arsenal!
Preparations for the new season will kick up a notch this evening as the Premier League champions take on the Spanish club in a repeat of the Champions League showdown between the two clubs from the 2024-25 league phase.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 7pm BST from the Estadi Montilivi. Stick with us!
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