Arsenal's preparations for the 2022/23 campaign will step up a gear when they face FC Nurnberg in a pre-season friendly this afternoon (Friday).
The Gunners have been training at the Adidas HQ in Nuremberg since Monday and their trip will culminate with a fixture against the 2. Bundesliga outfit and manager Mikel Arteta is expecting a good test in what is the second run-out for his side in the space of six days after last weekend's 5-1 win over Ipswich Town.
"We're very pleased to have our training camp at Adidas HQ confirmed to kick off our pre-season schedule," the Arsenal manager said. "I'd like to thank Adidas for hosting us. We're excited to get to work at the world-class facilities the campus has to offer. The fixture against FC Nurnberg will be a good test for us as we look to make a strong start to pre-season."
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As it's a pre-season fixture, the final result won't matter too much as the main purpose will be to get minutes into the tank of the players, hand debuts to summer signings, work on new tactics and potentially integrate one or two of the club's most promising wonderkids into the first-team picture.
With the countdown until kick-off underway, football.london has revealed four things to look out for as Arsenal return to action.
Double experiment
If the outing against Ipswich is anything to go by, Arteta will experiment this afternoon as he looks to make full use of the squad that has travelled out to Germany. The team for the first 45 minutes could be made up of entirely senior players such Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Mohamed Elneny who joined up with the squad on Monday after an extended break so will be hopeful of getting some game time.
The same applies to summer signings Matt Turner, Marquinhos and Gabriel Jesus who are in line to make their first appearances in an Arsenal shirt - albeit in a non-competitive fixture.
This means the second half team could include one or two senior players such as Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari, but it could also be a chance for youngsters such as Arthur Okonkwo, Lino Sousa, Charlie Patino, Salah Oulad M'Hand and Reuell Walters to catch the eye.
Arsenal meets Brazil
After completing deals for Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos this summer, Arsenal's Brazilian contingent is even stronger now and there's a chance they could all be on the pitch at the same time against Nurnberg.
Gabriel Magalhaes could resume his central defensive partnership with Benjamin White and the Gunners' front three could include the aforementioned duo and Martinelli. If it does happen it will be a first and Gabriel Jesus has already spoken about his excitement at being at the same club as his compatriots in a World Cup year.
"It would be massive for us personally because I played in the last World Cup, so I know it's so good to be there," he told the club's official website. "With Brazil, we grew up seeing players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Romario, and then we wanted to be the next ones. The World Cup is here now and we have the opportunity to play there together from the same club – all three Gabriels!"
Tierney return
It's been 111 days since Kieran Tierney last played for Arsenal at any level and that sequence could be snapped as early as today with the Scotland international back in full training after undergoing knee surgery in April which ruled him out of the final 10 games of last season.
There's no doubting that the left-back was sorely missed towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Had he been fit perhaps the top-four race would have gone in the Gunners' favour as Nuno Tavares wasn't able to fill those large boots which wasn't helped with further injuries across the back-line.
But the good news is that Tierney has returned and it will be interesting to see what shape he's in given it's been nearly four months since he was in action. He could also be wearing the captain's armband if neither Bellerin nor Holding are on the pitch at the same time as him.
Transfer hints?
Arsenal have a number of players whose futures are up in the air but have travelled to Germany. This includes Bernd Leno, Alex Runarsson, Hector Bellerin, Pablo Mari, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson, who have all been linked with moves away before the transfer window closes.
Now, as already discussed by football.london, if Leno doesn't feature this afternoon it could be the biggest indicator that a move to Fulham is close to completion as all parties involved wouldn't want to risk an injury that might derail a deal. Alternatively, this could be the German's farewell appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
More transfer hints regarding some of the aforementioned players could be provided against the 2. Bundesliga side, as if there are any who don't play a single minute, it could an indicator that they are closer to the exit door.
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