Arsenal will look to recover from losing the final game of their tour of Asia when they host Spanish club Villarreal on Wednesday.
Having beaten AC Milan and Newcastle, Mikel Arteta’s side seemed well set to make it three wins from three when they faced north London rivals Tottenham in Hong Kong on Thursday.
However, Pape Sarr’s stunning goal on the stroke of half-time condemned the Gunners to a surprise 1-0 defeat.
101GreatGoals.com has the confirmed starting line-ups, teams and matchday squads for the pre-season friendly between Arsenal and Villarreal.
Read our full preview of Arsenal v Villarreal
Arsenal lineup, team news v Villarreal
Arsenal hand a start to Viktor Gyokeres, who joined from Sporting in July for a fee that could rise to £64 million and failed to make a significant impact after being introduced late on against Spurs.
Another new striker, Noni Madueke, is on the bench after missing the Asia tour while recovering from Chelsea’s campaign at the Club World Cup in June and July.
Gabriel and Jurrien Timber are out injured, while fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori is absent after missing the game against Spurs with a knee injury.
Forward Leandro Trossard is not risk after limping off in that game.
Athletic Bilbao also visit Arsenal on Saturday (17:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT) and Arteta is expecting high-level encounters with the LaLiga clubs.
“Villarreal are playing at the highest level and have a manager in Marcelino who likes to play a very specific type of system and formation that we will find in the Premier League this season,” predicted the Spaniard.
“Playing against Spanish opposition will require other things from us as well and I expect these to be really good games.
“When we arrange these pre-season matches, I always look at how the manager sets up his teams, how they coach their team, the kind of players they have, how they train different phases of play against different blocks.
“We have a very good mixture this pre-season. The knowledge and experience that we gain from these games all goes into our ‘database’ to help us throughout the season. It helps for the way we have to evolve our game models.
“Each game is going to demand something from you physically and [in terms of] the spaces you have to attack or protect, and different ways [opponents] can play in their build-up as well.
“So we have to nail that and improve that. Playing against Villarreal will help, so it’s a good game for us.”
Arsenal starting XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Arsenal substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Timber, Gabriel, Mosquera, Zinchenko, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous
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Villarreal team news, lineup v Arsenal
Willy Kambwala is out for Villarreal with a left hamstring injury the French-Congolese defender sustained during their friendly against Genoa on July 31.
Cape Verdean defender Logan Costa had surgery on Tuesday for a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, suffering the injury during their pre-season opener against FC Basel on July 19.
Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe is likely to play and right-back Santiago Mourino, who made his debut in the 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Saturday, is set to keep his place.
Midfielder Thomas Partey is expected to sign for Villarreal this week but the former Arsenal midfielder, who will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesdayafter being charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault, won’t be on board in time for a return to the Emirates Stadium.
Villarreal are no strangers to the Emirates Stadium, although they have failed to score on their three previous visits.
Kolo Toure’s 41st-minute opener at Arsenal’s home proved the only goal of the tie in the 2005/06 Champions League semi-finals, with Riquelme missing a late penalty for Villarreal in the return leg at the Estadio El Madrigal.
The teams met again in London a quarter-final tie poised at 1-1 after the first leg in 2009, only for Arsenal to cruise through with a 3-0 win.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie scored on that occasion, and Villarreal are unbeaten in the two encounters between the clubs since then.
Under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery, Villarreal won the first leg 2-1 at home against Arteta’s team in the 2020/21 Europa League semi-finals, Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol scoring before Pepe’s late reply.
The second leg finished 0-0, sending the Yellow Submarine through to a final they won 11-10 on penalties against Manchester United following a 1-1 draw in Gdansk.
Villarreal starting XI: To follow
Villarreal substitutes: To follow
Is Arsenal v Villarreal on TV? Channels, online streams
Arsenal against Villarreal kicks off at 18:00 BST / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT on Wednesday. The game is not being screened on TV but can be watched on Arsenal’s website.
The game costs £6.99, with a bundle including the game against Athletic Bilbao starting at £10.99.
Build-up starts an hour before kick-off and there are repeat showings three and six hours after full time.
When does Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
The first round of Premier League matches in 2025/26 will be on the weekend of August 16 2025, including Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United on Sunday, August 17 at 16:30 BST.
The game against the 2024/25 Europa League finalists is being shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League, Ultra and Main Event.
The last round of matches this season will all start at the same time on May 24 2026. No rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.
When does Villarreal’s 2025/26 LaLiga season start?
Having qualified for the Champions League by finishing fifth last season, Villarreal start their 2025/26 campaign at home to Oviedo on August 15 (20:30 BST / 15:30 ET / 12:30 PT).
Their visitors were promoted through the play-offs after coming third in the Segunda Division.
