Arsenal are preparing for their pre-season campaign with a friendly match against Bundesliga 2 side FC Nürnberg. Last year, the two clubs clashed in preseason, with Arsenal winning 5-3 following a remarkable comeback.
Despite finishing the league season strongly with a 5-0 win over Wolves, the Gunners’ only match since then was a 1-1 draw against Watford in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
Nürnberg, on the other hand, have had a busy schedule recently, playing four games in the last 12 days and scoring an impressive total of 19 goals. They narrowly avoided relegation last season and will be looking to build on their performances.
In terms of team news, Arsenal have traveled to Germany with a 30-man squad consisting of first-team players and promising youngsters.
However, Emile Smith Rowe and Nuno Tavares are still on their off-season holidays after participating in the U21 European Championships. Matt Turner is also unavailable as he is on international duty with the USMNT in the Gold Cup. New signing Kai Havertz has joined the squad and is set to make his debut for Arsenal.
While the match might come too soon for the London outfit’s new arrivals, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber. But they wil certainly hope to adapt to Mikel Arteta’s philosophy during the team’s US tour.
FC Nürnberg will be without defenders Christopher Schindler and Erik Wekesser due to cruciate ligament injuries. Jannes Horn and Taylan Duman are also sidelined with hip and hamstring injuries respectively.
Both teams are expected to field a mix of regular starters and younger players. Arsenal’s lineup may include the likes of Folarin Balogun, and Reiss Nelson, and youngsters such as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who have developed a lot in the past few years. Reuell Walters is another name that can play a good number of minutes.
While the German team will almost certainly go with a better roster when the league season begins.
The match may be viewed on the Arsenal website if a pre-season match pass is purchased, or on Servus TV for German supporters.
This friendly will allow both clubs to fine-tune their preparations for the next season.
Arsenal will be seeking to develop chemistry among its players and provide vital playing time to bright prospects. Nürnberg, on the other hand, will be looking to assess their team and continue their good pre-season form.
Nurnberg vs Arsenal score prediction
Fitness and tactical familiarity are the only things that matter in pre-season friendlies, but given the gulf in quality between the two teams, Arsenal will rightly demand a victory, even if it means nothing.
With so many senior players in the squad, Arteta is blessed with a number of stars looking to prove themselves and command a place in the starting lineup when the new season gets underway, so don’t expect the Gunners to go easy even when the inevitable wave of substitutions threatens to kill the tempo.
This should be pretty comfortable for Arsenal.
Prediction: Nurnberg 0-4 Arsenal
