Despite missing several top players, Atletico are likely to pose a stern test today. Both they and Arsenal will be taking part in a trio of games during their Singapore stopover, with the sides locking horns with Paris Saint-Germain before the Gunners face Chelsea and their Spanish opponents take on Inter. All three games present the respective managers with great opportunities to challenge their players ahead of the new season.
This will also be Atletico’s first real test of the summer, with their only other friendly encounter seeing them beat a Nigeria B team just after the conclusion of last season’s LaLiga campaign. They’ve travelled to Singapore without a host of key names, however, with World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann absent alongside the likes of Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez and Sime Vrsaljko.
Both sides boast a plethora of talent, but it’s Arsenal who head to the National Stadium with the stronger squad to choose from. Emery not only has the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette at his disposal but also has new signings Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Bernd Leno and Matteo Guendouz to call on, with the latter two set to start.
Today’s clash in Singapore represents Unai Emery’s first real test as Arsenal boss, with his side set to take on last season’s Europa League winners. The former PSG manager guided the Gunners to a comfortable 8-0 victory against non-league Boreham Wood 12 days ago but faces a much sterner challenge this time out, with the two going head to head for the third time in three months.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s International Champions Cup game between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal at the National Stadium.
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Atletico and Arsenal have only met three times prior to today’s game, with both sides enjoying a win apiece. Los Rojiblancos memorably beat their opponents on home soil in the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League, while Arsenal came away victorious when the two teams met in a pre-season friendly back in 2009.