Arsenal will take to the pitch in front of fans for the first time this pre-season when they face LaLiga outfit Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday.
The Gunners have been preparing for their Premier League title defence behind closed doors, but all that is set to change as they kick off against Girona at 7pm BST.
Mikel Arteta's side have been easing into their preparations, with a 3-0 win against MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly just a few days ago. Arteta will be hoping to make it two wins from two as preparations continue.
A number of World Cup stars have rejoined the squad, and could be in line to feature for the first time since the end of last term. The last sight of Arsenal was their Champions League final shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fans have been whipped up into a frenzy by the Vinicius Jr transfer saga, but all eyes will be on Christos Tzolis, the new arrival from Club Brugge who is set to get his first official run-out. Tzolis is expected to make his debut in the starting lineup, with the new signing taking up a spot on the left wing.
The Gunners are already lumbered with defensive injury problems, with Ben White and Jurrien Timber leaving the camp nursing fresh woes, joining William Saliba who is out for a number of months with a back issue picked up at the World Cup. However, Piero Hincapie, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres have all joined up with the squad after the World Cup and could be in contention.
Girona, meanwhile, welcomed back Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi from World Cup duty, who could feature in a midfield against one-time Manchester United flop Donny van de Beek. The predicted lineups show Girona's XI as: Krapyvytsov; A. Martinez, Lopez, Yaakobishvili, Moreno; Beltran, Ounahi; Camara, Misehouy, Gil; Vanat.
Arsenal's XI, meanwhile, is predicted to be: Kepa; Mosquera, Salmon, Calafiori, Hincapie; Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard; Dowman, Nwaneri, Tzolis; Jesus.
Fans can watch the clash on Arsenal.com by purchasing the pre-season pass, which costs £14.99 – or £9.99 if purchased before 9am on the day of the match. This will also allow you to stream the club's remaining pre-season fixtures against Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund, and Como.
The match is set to be a closely contested affair, with both teams looking to make a strong impression ahead of the new season. It will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta's side perform in their first game in front of fans this pre-season, and whether they can build on their behind-closed-doors win against MK Dons.
The match at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday will be a crucial test of Arsenal's readiness for the new season, and fans will be eager to see how the Gunners perform in their first game in front of fans this pre-season.
Source: Yahoo Sports
