Arsenal got their Catalonia trip off to a rip roaring start, as they thrashed Spanish side Girona 4-1 over the weekend. Kai Havertz (Germany), Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden) and Piero Hincapie (Ecuador) all returned from post World Cup holiday to feature for 33 minutes. It was an intentional substitution pattern as the trio are being minutes managed, and thus eased back into the squad.
Despite being limited to a little more than half-an-hour, Havertz found the back of the net in the 16′.
Preseason FYIs
Arsenal vs Real Betis
When: Wednesday, August 5, 7:30 pm UK time
Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Joining him on the score sheet were Max Dowman, Gabriel Jesus and new summer signing Christos Tzolis. There was more good news, as defender Ben White, seeing his first competitive action in front of spectators in months, played 61 minutes.
So we expect White to be involved from the opening kick in Dublin, where the Gunners will face another Spanish side, this time it’s Real Betis, on Wednesday night.
In terms of filling out the team sheet for midweek, we think it might look pretty similar to what we saw in Girona. And here below is our best guess as to what that could be.
Arsenal Predicted Starting XI vs Real Betis (Preseason Friendly)
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cristian Mosquera, Marli Salmon, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori; Cristian Norgaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, Christos Tzolis; Gabriel Jesus
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.