Sunday brings a trophy match, sort of, kind of, when Arsenal FC hosts Borussia Dortmund. The Emirates Cup is silverware, but as it’s of the preseason variety, it’s not a “real trophy.” The format/competition, after all, was mostly created for the cause of raising brand awareness, not athletic prowess. Still if you are going to play the game, you will play to win, because as professionals, this is just simply what you do. And that is exactly what Arsenal and BVB will do.
Emirates Cup FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Borussia Dortmund
Kickoff: 2pm BST
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Preview Content for Both Sides: Team News
So with that in mind, you can expect both managers to field a team that is relatively strong, or at least as strong as can be right now, given all the summer absentees. Here is what we think that looks like, which is all, of course, very much up for debate.
Starting XI Predictions
Arsenal (4-3-3)
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Max Dowman, Kai Havertz; Viktor Gyokeres, Christos Tzolis, Gabriel Jesus
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1)
Patrick Drewes; Luca Reggiani, Waldemar Anton, Romeo Ritter, Daniel Svensson; Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, Maximilian Beier; Fabio Silva, Konstantinos Karetsas; Bruno Guirassy
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.