Arsenal conclude their pre-season schedule on Wednesday evening when they welcome Serie A side Como to the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be looking to bounce back from successive friendly defeats before Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester City, while Cesc Fabregas returns to North London hoping to continue Como’s encouraging preparations for the new campaign.
Pre-season results have not gone entirely to plan for Arsenal, who have suffered back-to-back defeats after opening the summer with victory over Girona.
The Gunners followed a disappointing loss to Real Betis with a 3-2 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup, but Arteta’s primary focus remains building fitness and integrating new arrivals ahead of the Premier League season.
There have been encouraging signs despite the results, although Arsenal have looked vulnerable defensively and are still searching for greater fluency in the final third.
Como, meanwhile, continue their impressive rise under former Arsenal captain Fabregas. After finishing fourth in Serie A last season to secure Champions League qualification, the Italian club are aiming to build on one of the most remarkable stories in European football.
The visitors have enjoyed a productive pre-season, recording two wins, one draw and one defeat on penalties, scoring nine goals across those four matches.
Team news for Arsenal vs Como
Arsenal supporters could get their first look at new signing Bruno Guimaraes following his summer move from Newcastle.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and David Raya have all returned to training after their World Cup breaks and are expected to feature, although Arteta is likely to manage their minutes carefully.
The Gunners remain without William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, both of whom are facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, meaning Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are expected to continue in central defence alongside Gabriel.
Como could hand a debut to former Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah following his arrival earlier this month.
Expected line-ups for Arsenal vs Como
Arsenal: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz.
Como: Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Chalobah, Kaiki; Perrone, Lahdo; Diao, Caqueret, Liberali; Douvikas.
How to watch Arsenal vs Como
Kick-off: 7:30pm BST, Wednesday 12 August
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV/live stream: Arsenal.com and the official Arsenal app (UK and international, via match pass)
The stats for Arsenal vs Como
- Arsenal have won just one of their four pre-season matches this summer
- The Gunners have conceded six goals across their last two friendlies
- Como finished fourth in Serie A last season to qualify for the Champions League
- Como have scored nine goals in four pre-season fixtures
- The Italian side have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches
- Cesc Fabregas returns to the Emirates Stadium as an opposition manager for the first time
Prediction for Arsenal vs Como
With several senior internationals returning to the squad and Bruno Guimaraes available for his first appearance, Arsenal should be much closer to full strength.
Como will provide another stern examination, but the Gunners are expected to head into the Community Shield with a morale-boosting victory.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Como.
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