| Arsenal vs Girona | |
| MATCH | Club Friendlies |
| DATE | 01 - 08 - 2026 |
| TIME | 11.30 PM IST |
| STADIUM | Stadium |
Arsenal vs Girona Match Preview
Arsenal continue their preparations for the 2026-27 season with a friendly against Spanish side Girona, looking to build on an impressive opening pre-season victory under Mikel Arteta.
Despite being without several first-team stars still recovering from their 2026 FIFA World Cup commitments, Arsenal made a strong start to the summer by defeating League One side MK Dons 3-0. Goals from Reiss Nelson, Ethan Nwaneri and teenage striker Ceadach O'Neill secured a comfortable victory, while new signing Christos Tzolis impressed by providing an assist on his unofficial debut after an outstanding campaign with Club Brugge.
Although transfer speculation continues to surround potential moves for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, Arteta remains focused on preparing his squad for the new season. The Girona clash is the second of five scheduled pre-season friendlies before Arsenal face Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup and Como later this month.
Arsenal will also be hoping to repeat their success over Girona after defeating the Spanish club 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League only 18 months ago, when Ethan Nwaneri and Jorginho scored to overturn an early deficit.
Girona enter the new season in a very different position. After suffering relegation from La Liga with a 19th-place finish in 2025-26, the Catalan club are preparing for life in LaLiga2 under new head coach Quique Alvarez, who replaced long-serving manager Michel.
Their pre-season has produced mixed results so far, including a 3-1 victory over Olot, a 1-0 defeat to Alaves and an entertaining 3-3 draw against Castellon. Following this meeting with Arsenal, Girona will conclude their preparations against Sabadell and Gimnastic before opening their Segunda Division campaign against Leganes.
Team News
Arsenal
Arsenal have welcomed back Ben White after injury, although Jurrien Timber has returned to London to continue his rehabilitation.
William Saliba remains sidelined with a long-term back injury suffered during the FIFA World Cup, while Christian Norgaard is also expected to miss the match.
Summer arrivals and returning internationals Piero Hincapie, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres have joined the squad after their World Cup commitments, while Fabio Vieira remains with the team despite ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
Teenage defender Marli Salmon could be handed another opportunity in the first team as Arteta continues to rotate his youthful squad.
Girona
Girona are missing only one World Cup participant, with Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi still enjoying an extended break after helping the Atlas Lions reach the quarter-finals.
The Spanish side still possess several experienced players despite relegation, including Viktor Tsygankov, Vladyslav Vanat and former Tottenham winger Bryan Gil.
Former Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek is also available after returning from a long-term Achilles injury and featured in the draw against Castellon.
Match Outlook
Arsenal's youthful squad made an encouraging start to pre-season and should continue to improve as more senior internationals return. Girona will provide a sterner challenge than MK Dons, but the Gunners possess greater quality and attacking depth despite several notable absentees.
The match will also offer another opportunity for emerging stars such as Ethan Nwaneri, Ceadach O'Neill and Christos Tzolis to impress before Arsenal's higher-profile friendlies later this month.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Girona.
