Champions League semi-final opponents of the past, Arsenal and Villarreal will meet again – this time in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Arsenal are looking to bounce back from their recent North London derby loss, while Villarreal are still chasing their first win of pre-season after six attempts.
Match Preview
The excitement of Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres was quickly overshadowed by a 1-0 defeat to Spurs in Hong Kong. That match, the first-ever North London derby outside of the UK, was decided by an outrageous long-range strike from Pape Sarr.
Arsenal might have hoped VAR would intervene for a potential foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly in the buildup, but the Gunners struggled to create chances and couldn’t argue with the result — a worrying trend that carried over from last season.
Prior to that, Arsenal had enjoyed pre-season wins over Watford, Newcastle, and AC Milan. However, their perfect record ended in Asia, adding pressure ahead of their return home.
Their recent form at the Emirates hasn’t been inspiring either, winning just one of their final five home matches in the 2024–25 campaign. Still, the match against Villarreal offers a chance to reset before hosting Athletic Bilbao in the Emirates Cup this weekend.
Villarreal are in the middle of a UK tour, having drawn 1-1 with Leeds United in their latest outing. Etta Eyong gave them an early lead, but Joel Piroe quickly cancelled it out.
That result extended Villarreal’s winless pre-season streak to six matches. They’ve managed draws with Basel, Real Oviedo, and St. Gallen but lost to Sporting Lisbon and Genoa.
The Spanish side finished fifth in La Liga last season, securing a return to the Champions League — where they could once again face Arsenal in the group stage.
The Yellow Submarine famously beat Arsenal in the 2020–21 Europa League semi-finals under Unai Emery. However, Arsenal had previously eliminated them in both the 2005–06 UCL semis and the 2008–09 quarter-finals.
Team News
Five of Arsenal’s six new summer signings made their debuts during the Asia tour. Now, Viktor Gyokeres, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard are set to make their first home appearances.
Noni Madueke missed the Asia trip due to Club World Cup duties but could feature now. With Leandro Trossard limping off injured against Spurs, Arteta may hand Madueke his debut.
Trossard joins Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Jesus on the injury list. Jesus remains sidelined with a long-term ACL issue.
Villarreal also suffered a significant injury blow. Defender Logan Costa tore his cruciate ligament against Basel and will be out for months.
Other than that, Villarreal’s squad is in good health. Notably, former Arsenal players Nicolas Pepe and Denis Suarez are set to return to the Emirates in Villarreal colours.
The Spanish side is reportedly close to signing Thomas Partey, who recently left Arsenal as a free agent. However, he will not be involved on Wednesday, especially as he is scheduled to appear in court this week.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Villarreal: Junior; Foyth, Mourino, Marin, Cardona; Pepe, Gueye, Parejo, Pino; Eyong, Moreno
Prediction: Arsenal 2–0 Villarreal
Despite ongoing concerns with breaking down stubborn defences, Arsenal should have enough quality and motivation at home to return to winning ways. Villarreal’s lack of sharpness this pre-season suggests they’ll struggle to contain the Gunners for long.