ARSENAL are now back on home soil and will continue their preparations for the new Premier League season on Wednesday when they take on Bayer Leverkusen.
The match, which will take place at the Emirates Stadium, will provide the Gunners with an extremely tough test ahead of the new season as they face the reigning Bundesliga champions.
Arsenal have enjoyed a mixed pre-season so far, winning one, losing and drawing one across their three matches. Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, have won one and drawn one across their two pre-season fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Arsenal backed to win
Despite playing a team that just won the Bundesliga without losing a match all season, Arsenal have been priced as the odds-on favourites for this match. An Arsenal win has been priced at 5/6 while a Bayer Leverkusen win has priced at 11/5. The draw, which is never a fun result during pre-season, has been priced at 3/1.
Recent head-to-head: No meeting for 22 years
Although Bayer Leverkusen took the Bundesliga by storm last season, they aren't a club that frequently dines with the elite. As a result, it shouldn't come as a huge shock to learn that Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen have only ever played twice before, with both matches coming in the 2002 Champions League. Arsenal earned a 1-1 draw in Germany before winning 4-1 at home.
Players to watch: Goodbye to the old, hello to the new
The match on Wednesday will likely see the debut of a new big-money Arsenal signing while it will also see one ex-player return to the club for the first time.
The Gunners confirmed the signing of Riccardo Calafiori for £42m while they were on their tour of the USA but the Italian is yet to play for the club. That could all change on Wednesday with the 22-year-old now in training with Mikel Arteta's men. Calafiori was a key cog in the Bologna side that finished 5th in Serie A last season so big things are expected.
Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka is preparing to play at the Emirates Stadium once again. The Swiss international enjoyed seven years at Arsenal but the club's fans never truly warmed to him. It will be interesting to see what reaction he gets from the Arsenal faithful on Wednesday evening.
Predicted line-ups
Arsenal have been handed a boost this week as the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, David Raya and William Saliba have all returned to training following their exploits at Euro 2024. All four men are expected to get some minutes on Wednesday.
Bayer Leverkusen aren't quite in the same boat as Xabi Alonso has given an extended rest to Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo after their time at the tournament.
Arsenal: Raya – White, Timber, Gabriel, Zinchenko – Partey, Odegaard, Havertz – Nelson, Jesus, Martinelli
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky – Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie – Tella, Xhaka, Garcia, Belocian – Wirtz, Terrier, Boniface
Anything else catch the eye?
Across the five matches that these two teams have played in pre-season, more than two goals have been scored in four of them. Over 2.5 goals to be scored again on Wednesday has been priced at 1/3 with Betfred.
This Club Friendly match between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on Aug 7, 2024 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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