𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Gyokeres only had limited training time with his new club prior to the game in Hong Kong, but Mikel Arteta sent the striker on with 13 minutes remaining.

Arteta made five changes at 77 minutes, with the logical swap seeing Kai Havertz make way for Gyokeres in attack.

Gyokeres was unable to make an impact following Pape Matar Sarr’s opener in the first half, which saw the Spurs midfielder’s long-range effort catch David Raya out of goal.

Villareal XI: Junior; Marin, Foyth, Mourino, Cardona; Eyong, Parejo, Gueye; Pepe, Moreno, Moleiro

Substitutes: Navarro, Suarez, Danjuma, Altimira, Conde, Comesana, Buchanan, Pedraza, Valou, Gomez, Cabanes

The major news for Arsenal is that Viktor Gyokeres, after coming off the bench for 20 minutes against Spurs in Hong Kong, has been handed a maiden start for the Gunners.

Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes come into the matchday squad after not featuring on the Asian tour, while Christian Norgaard also makes the starting lineup and Noni Madueke is in the squad for the first time since his move from Chelsea. He’s on the bench.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera are also on a rather stacked bench, as is 15-year-old talent Max Dowman.

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres

Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Timber, Gabriel, Mosquera, Zinchenko, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous

It was once again a case of close but not close enough for Mikel Arteta’s side in 2024/25. Finishing second fiddle to the Premier League champions for a third successive season, the Gunners endured another trophyless campaign after their Champions League push fell at the hands of eventual winners PSG.

A key reason for their failure to achieve was an attacking injury crisis that forced Mikel Merino to take up a role of makeshift number nine, and despite their undeniable quality in the starting XI, Arsenal’s depth is far from good enough for a team hopeful of major titles.

Here’s a deep dive into Arsenal’s summer business:

July 23: Arsenal 1-0 AC Milan – Singapore National Stadium, Singapore, 12:30pm

July 27: Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle United – Singapore National Stadium, Singapore, 12:30pm

July 31: Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur – Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong, 12:30pm

August 6: Villarreal – Emirates Stadium, London, 6pm

August 9: Athletic Bilbao – Emirates Stadium, London, 5pm

New signing Viktor Gyokeres could make his first start for Arsenal after featuring for 20 minutes last time out, while Cristhian Mosquera and Martin Zubimendi will also be hoping for more game time after coming off the bench. Noni Madueke could also make his home debut.

In addition, the trio of Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kepa Arrizabalaga are available after a spell on the sidelines.

Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori will be assessed after picking up knocks in the loss to Spurs.

The match will take place on Wednesday, 6 August at the Emirates Stadium in London, with kick-off set for 6pm BST.

The match will not be shown on TV in the UK, but it will be shown live on Arsenal.com and the official app, and can be streamed for £6.99.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Arsenal’s penultimate pre-season friendly!

Fresh from their tour of Asia, they welcome Villareal to the Emirates for tonight’s 6pm clash.