Arsenal will feel the warm embrace of home support when they take on Borussia Dortmund in a preseason friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta revealed his players were “fuming” after being deservedly beaten 3–1 by Real Betis on Wednesday, a surprise setback following the 4–1 demolition of Girona in their first overseas friendly of the summer. The Spaniard will demand an emphatic response, even if only pride is on the line against BVB.
The Gunners remain without a host of first-team players as they recover from tiring World Cup campaigns, but there remains plenty of options for Arteta to call upon in north London.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have just returned from Japan, where they were beaten 1–0 by Cerezo Osaka before victory by the same scoreline over FC Tokyo. This will be a fifth friendly of the summer for the Germans, but they are yet to come up against an opponent as fierce as Arsenal.
Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund Score Prediction
Arsenal Deliver on Homecoming
Arsenal were uncharacteristically poor against Betis last time out, lacking the intensity Arteta demands from his players in and out of possession. A makeshift side crumbled in the first half and there were alarming holes in midfield and defense—not to mention some questionable goalkeeping from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
However, back in front of home supporters for the first time since last season’s Premier League triumph, Arsenal should issue a firm response to the Betis defeat.
Dortmund have been inconsistent in preseason and are seldom particularly resilient in defense, with Arsenal possibly taking full advantage of rustiness in their ranks. They are also without some high-profile names, including several recent departees in the transfer market.
Preseason remains impossible to predict, especially given the personnel changes during a match, but Arsenal are favorites for good reason, boasting far more individual quality in their roster than Dortmund.
Prediction: Arsenal 3–1 Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal will continue without injured duo William Saliba and Jurriën Timber, while young midfielder Louie Copley is almost certain to be absent after suffering a worrying knee injury against Betis.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, David Raya, Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi remain unavailable following extended breaks after the World Cup, but captain Martin Ødegaard could be involved for the first time this summer.
Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli both made their comebacks with brief cameos against Betis and should have a more significant part to play this weekend.
After an error-strewn performance from Kepa in Dublin, Arteta might be tempted to trial summer recruit Illan Meslier between the sticks.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3): Meslier; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Havertz; Dowman, Gyökeres, Tzolis.
Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal
Dortmund are without several players due to long-term injuries, with center back Nico Schlotterbeck sorely missed after an ankle issue sustained with Germany at the World Cup. Emre Can is also absent after tearing his ACL back in late February.
Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Daniel Svensson and Carney Chukwuemeka all returned to action last time out in Tokyo after busy summers at the World Cup, but Gregor Kobel, Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Ryerson were not involved as they continued their breaks.
BVB could hand a debut to new signing Konstantinos Karetsas, with the young Greek forward having recently arrived for $36.9 million from Genk.
What Time Does Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund Kick Off?
- Location : London, England
- Stadium : Emirates Stadium
- Date : Sunday, Aug. 9
- Kick-off Time : 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT
How to Watch Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund on TV, Live Stream
| Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United States | arsenal.com, Arsenal YouTube Channel |
| Canada | arsenal.com, Arsenal YouTube Channel |
| Mexico | Disney+ Premium Mexico, arsenal.com |
| United Kingdom | arsenal.com |
