Arsenal have confirmed that they will take part in the Dubai Super Cup next month as part of their plans to build back up to the start of the Premier League. The tournament will involve fellow Premier League side Liverpool as well as Lyon and AC Milan although the Gunners will only play the latter two.
“We need good preparation mentally and physically to be ready for the huge demands that the second part of the season is going to bring to the team," Mikel Arteta said when asked to explain why he had elected for his team to take part in the competition. "We have two great games against Lyon and Milan and we are really looking forward to it. They’re two big clubs and it’ll be tough competition, and for us, it’s a great test to see where we are.”
While no one will suggest the Dubai Super Cup is a major trophy, it does offer Arsenal the chance for some early silverware and having won the Orlando Cup and the Emirates Cup in pre-season, Arteta will be keen to keep the winning feeling going around north London. As with all pre-season tournaments though, the rules that could see the Gunners claim the trophy are far from simple.
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First of all they will play only two of the three teams involved. Their first match against Lyon will take place on December 8 at the 15,000 seater Al-Maktoum Stadium, before they play AC Milan at the same venue on December 13 before returning to north London. Liverpool meanwhile will play Lyon on December 11 and Milan on December 16.
The tournament will take place in a league table format with each win carrying the standard three point prize. However, if there is a draw both teams will be awarded two points. On top of that there will be a penalty shoot out at the end of each match regardless of the score, with the winner of that getting an additional bonus point. The team with the most points once all four matches are played will then be crowned Dubai Super Cup champions.
It is not yet clear which players will be available to play in these matches, with some young players in line to get minutes to make up for the absentees. As football.london reported in September, part of the reason Dubai was chosen as a location was for its proximity to Qatar so that players who exit the World Cup early can join straight up with the rest of the group. Those who return before the final are expected to be given some rest time although Arteta has confirmed that each player will have their own individual set up.
“Every player and every schedule is different," the Spaniard said. "We’ll have to assess who it is, how many games he’s played, how many days off they’ve had in the last few months and treat it like this, but certainly, there is a plan in place for every player.”
The World Cup group stages are set to finish on November 30 which means that the likes of Matt Turner, Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu could all be back in time for that first game against Lyon. All will be hopeful of staying out in Qatar for longer though while Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Granit Xhaka will all be aiming to reach the knockout stages.
Before heading out to Dubai football.london understands that Arsenal will face Watford in a behind closed doors friendly on November 28. The Gunners are also planning for a friendly when they return from Dubai against a Spanish team, with Barcelona among the sides being spoken with about a potential match.
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