Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign with a visit to Old Trafford on Sunday, a ground that has seen so many battles between the clubs during the last few decades. Mikel Arteta's side have had an up-and-down pre-season, however, the Spaniard believes his team are in a good place heading into the new season.
Pre-Season Preparations
Arsenal’s 2025/26 pre-season began with a training camp in Marbella, Spain, allowing players to regain fitness after the summer break. The Gunners then embarked on an Asia tour, starting with the Singapore Festival of Football. In their first pre-season game, they secured a 1-0 victory over AC Milan, with Bukayo Saka scoring, though they lost the subsequent penalty shootout. Four days later, Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 3-2, with goals from Mikel Merino, an own goal, and a Martin Odegaard penalty. Max Dowman was the talk of the fanbase after an impressive cameo off the bench.
The tour concluded in Hong Kong with a 0-1 loss to Tottenham, despite Arsenal dominating possession and shots, highlighting finishing issues that plagued the club throughout last season.
Returning to London, Arsenal faced Villarreal on August 6 at the Emirates Stadium, losing 2-3 despite goals from Norgaard and Odegaard. They concluded pre-season with a 3-0 Emirates Cup win over Athletic Bilbao, with new signings Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres shining, the Swede scoring his first goal for the club.
Striker's instinct 💥 pic.twitter.com/nWyLBIbhnM
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 10, 2025
Focus on Old Trafford
Mikel Arteta revealed he is happy with the clubs preparations. "I think on the physical part we're in a really good place. I think we have competed against very different opponents in different contexts, in different countries, so it's been a really complete pre-season. You constantly learn and evolve in the team, that's not going to stop now because this is the last test of pre-season," he said in his press conference after the win over Athletic Bilbao.
The Arsenal manager then stated it's full focus on making as many improvements as they can ahead of their opening Premier League match against Ruben Amorim's side. "On Monday we'll continue to work on things, on things that we have to develop and improve from today, from the last few games, and other things that we want to still do."
One intriguing storyline is the fact Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko will be facing off against each other, after Arsenal spent so long courting both players before settling on the Swedish international. Arteta said that throughout pre-season the team have been making sure Gyokeres, and all the other new signings, are ready for the opening day. "Especially the integration of the new players to make sure that we create such a bond and spirit in the team that we can compete against the opposition," Arteta concluded when asked about his takeways from the season's preparations.
