Arsenal take on Como in their final preseason outing before the Community Shield.
Arsenal take on Como in their final preseason outing before the Community Shield. | Visionhaus; Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
Arsenal’s final preseason outing before the FA Community Shield pits the Gunners against Cesc Fàbregas’s Como, who are preparing for their first taste of Champions League soccer this season.
The Como boss is a modern-day Arsenal legend, although he did plenty to tarnish his reputation among supporters by joining Chelsea in 2014, having previously left the Gunners to return to boyhood club Barcelona in 2011.
His reception at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday could be frosty, even if his perceived betrayal occurred more than a decade ago.
The Spaniard’s team has a mightily exciting season ahead, and the upcoming friendly was arranged with its maiden Champions League campaign in mind. Arsenal were beaten finalists earlier this year and are the reigning Premier League champions.
The Gunners, however, have endured an indifferent preseason so far, losing back-to-back games. After easing past Girona to begin their summer, Arsenal were beaten 3–1 by Real Betis in Dublin and 3–2 by Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup at the weekend.
Arsenal vs. Como Score Prediction
Gunners Shake Off Back-to-Back Defeats
Viktor Gyökeres
The Gunners could do with some positive momentum before the Community Shield. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
While Arsenal were uncharacteristically sloppy and deservedly beaten by Betis, supporters weren’t all that concerned about the nature of their defeat to Dortmund. Still, they seem to be shelling out goals for fun this summer.
Mikel Arteta should have close to a full roster available for Wednesday’s friendly, and the Arsenal boss must be excited for his first coaching matchup against Fàbregas. The pair never crossed paths as players in north London, with Arteta joining a month after Fàbregas left for Barcelona.
Both are thriving in their first managerial roles. Arteta is further along, with his project culminating in Premier League glory last season. Now, the Gunners want to embark on a period of domination.
Como, meanwhile, are continuing to ascend under Fàbregas’s tutelage. The sky is the limit by the famous lake, with the Spaniard’s progressive ideals working hand-in-hand with an upwardly mobile club that has astutely identified an array of young and hungry players capable of fitting into the manager’s framework.
Similar to Arsenal, Como’s project is all about the manager, and their first duel is bound to be intriguing.
Prediction: Arsenal 2–1 Como
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Como
Arsenal predicted lineup
There could be an Arsenal debut for Bruno Guimarães. | FotMob
The last of Arsenal’s World Cup contingent has returned for preseason, and supporters will be keen to catch a glimpse of new signing Bruno Guimarães in action on Wednesday. The Brazilian was unveiled to the Emirates faithful at the weekend, and should be ready for his first minutes in Arsenal colors here.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and David Raya have all reported back from their respective breaks, and Arteta will want to reintroduce the trio to the fold ahead of the Community Shield.
William Saliba is out for a sustained period with a back injury, while Jurriën Timber is well away from returning to competitive action due to an ankle issue.
Youngster Louis Copley tore his ACL in Arsenal’s preseason defeat to Real Betis in Dublin and is expected to miss much of the 2026–27 campaign as a result.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Como (4-3-3): Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimarães, Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard; Dowman, Gyökeres, Tzolis.
Como Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal
Como predicted lineup
Trevoh Chalobah could make his Como debut. | FotMob
Como have been in England since the start of the week, and there could be debuts for their two latest signings at the Emirates, one of whom the home crowd will be very familiar with.
Trevoh Chalobah has completed a move from Chelsea, with his signing announced on Aug. 9. While the defender was eventually called up to England‘s World Cup roster and enjoyed a post-tournament break, Chalobah should be ready to make his Como debut.
Yan Couto has also joined the club on loan for the upcoming season.
Star man Nico Paz hasn’t travelled to London, but Fàbregas has the likes of Maxence Caqueret, Máximo Perrone, Assane Diao and Anastasios Douvikas to count on.
Como predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolčić, Ramón, Chalobah, Kaiki; Perrone, Lahdo; Diao, Caqueret, Liberali; Douvikas.
What Time Does Arsenal vs. Como Kick Off?
Location: London, England
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 12
Kick-off Time: 7:30 p.m. BST / 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
How to Watch Arsenal vs. Como on TV, Live Stream
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Country TV Channel/Live Stream
United States arsenal.com
Canada arsenal.com
Mexico ESPN2 Mexico, Disney+ Premium Mexico
United Kingdom arsenal.com
James Cormack is a writer for SI FC. Opting against a football coaching undergraduate degree at the last minute, he instead decided to take on a six-month internship with 90min in 2019 and hasn't looked back. Cormack's current SEO focus means he tends to venture to the land of match previews and predicted lineups, but he also has a wealth of experience in news and feature writing. A passion for soccer's history and the European game often takes his work beyond the familiarity of the Premier League, but it's with Tottenham Hotspur where his strongest allegiance lies.