Arsenal face Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday, kicking off at 7.30pm, in the first ever meeting between the clubs and Arsenal's first preseason fixture in the Republic of Ireland since 2018.
Arsenal arrive after a convincing 4-1 victory over Girona in their first public outing of the summer. Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus were all on target, with Girona's only reply coming from an Arnau Martinez header at a corner.
It continued an encouraging start under Mikel Arteta despite a heavily rotated squad. Dowman again caught the eye, following up his record-breaking Premier League campaign by providing an assist before scoring himself.
Real Betis also enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 season, finishing fifth in La Liga to secure Champions League football for the first time in two decades. Manuel Pellegrini's side sealed qualification with a 2-1 victory over Elche through goals from Cucho Hernandez and Pablo Fornals, before beginning preseason with a 4-0 win over Lyon and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Granada.
Arsenal remain without several senior players following the World Cup. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, David Raya and Martin Zubimendi have yet to return to training, while William Saliba and Jurrien Timber continue their recoveries from injury.
Christos Tzolis has made an immediate impact following his £34 million move from Club Brugge, arriving after a remarkable campaign that produced 22 goals and 29 assists, while Arsenal continue to be linked with Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. Real Betis have kept changes to a minimum. Reported interest in Gonzalo Garcia, Fran Garcia and Dani Ceballos has yet to result in any arrivals, leaving Pellegrini with a squad that already proved capable of securing a top-five finish last season.
How the bookies view it
At the time of writing there are no odds available for this fixture.
Head to head: First meeting
This will be the first meeting between Arsenal and Real Betis.
Player to watch: Max Dowman to be the star of the show
Max Dowman has carried his momentum seamlessly into preseason. The 16-year-old followed his breakthrough campaign by producing a goal and an assist against Girona, continuing to strengthen his case while Arsenal remain without several established internationals.
He managed three goals from just 687 minutes across 16 appearances last season, and another strong display against Champions League opposition would further underline his growing importance within Arteta's plans.
Predicted line ups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Havertz, Nwaneri; Dowman, Gyokeres, Tzolis.
Real Betis (4-3-3): Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Fran Garcia; Bernal, Roca, Fornals; Pablo Garcia, Deossa, Riquelme.
Anything else catch the eye?
Arsenal's greatest strength at this stage of preseason has been the quality throughout the squad. Even without several first-choice internationals, Arteta's side looked fluent against Girona, with experienced players, new signings and academy graduates all contributing.
That depth gives Arsenal the flexibility to rotate heavily without losing the intensity or control that defined last season's title-winning campaign.
Real Betis deserve respect after earning Champions League qualification, but they arrive with a squad that has changed very little over the summer and is still adjusting to the demands of a longer campaign ahead. Their underlying numbers last season reflected a strong side, yet Arsenal's greater depth and sharper start to preseason suggest they hold the edge.
One area worth monitoring is Arsenal's defending from set pieces. William Saliba remains unavailable and Gabriel has only recently returned to training, leaving Arteta short of his strongest central defensive partnership. Even so, Arsenal's overall quality should prove decisive.
My preferred angle, once markets become available, would be Arsenal to win and under 3.5 goals.
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