While every Arsenal fan is currently enjoying, or at times enduring, their team’s push for silverware this season, plans for summer fixtures are starting to take shape. On Tuesday, the club confirmed that they will face Real Betis in a pre-season friendly at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday 5 August.
The Gunners have never met los Verdiblancos in a competitive fixture, albeit that could change. Manuel Pellegrini’s team are currently fifth in La Liga, which would be enough to see Bticos qualify for next season’s Champions League, having not appeared in the competition since 2005.
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Meantime, it will be Arenal’s third visit to the Aviva. Led by the recently-appointed Unai Emery, they drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Lansdowne Road in August 2018, before a 4-2 Europa League victory over Dundalk two years later, the latter played behind-closed-doors due to Covid-19.
There are also wide-spread reports that Arsenal are looking to schedule another one or two friendlies outside the UK but within Europe. Due to the truncated gap between the World Cup Final and the start of the Premier League season, Mikel Arteta and the club are eager to avoid burn out that excessive travel could cause. This will be quite the change, given that the Gunners have visited plenty of far-flung destinations during recent pre-season tours.
Non-European locations of Arsenal pre-season tours (2010-2025)
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Singapore: 2025, 2018 & 2015.
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United States: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2016 & 2014.
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China: 2017, 2012 & 2011.
On top of pre-season friendlies, ahead of the opening weekend of the Premier League which is 22 August, the Gunners could be playing for two trophies during that summer month. First, the UEFA Super Cup will take place at Stadion Wals-Siezenheim in Salzburg on 12 August. To get there, they will have to win the Champions League for the very first time, but are favourites to knockout Sporting CP in the quarter-finals, thereby setting up a last four clash with Barcelona or Atltico Madrid.
Four days later, Arsenal will hope to be contesting the FA Community Shield, but not where one might expect. Earlier this week, the FA announced that the traditional English football curtain raiser will not take place at Wembley, which has already been booked by musical artist The Weeknd.
Instead, it has been moved to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, a venue at which the Gunners have played nine times before, winning three FA Cups and two Charity Shields between 2002 and 2005. Arsenal will be hoping to head to South Wales as Premier League champions, but could of course also do so as FA Cup winners. In fact, as was the case in 2023, should Manchester City do the double, Arsenal would be invited as league runners-up, but that is not a reality any Gooner wants to comprehend.
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Arsenal’s current potential August schedule
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Wednesday 5 August: Real Betis – Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Friendly. Kick off 7:30pm.
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Wednesday 12 August. UEFA Super Cup – Red Bull Arena, Salzburg. Kick off 8pm. Must win the Champions League to qualify.
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Sunday 16 August. FA Community Shield – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Kick off TBC. Subject to qualification via the Premier League or FA Cup.
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21-24 August. Premier League season kicks off. Fixtures released on 17 June.
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27 August. UEFA Champions League league phase draw.
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31 August. Summer transfer window closes.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as Arsenal’s potential pre-season schedule takes shape as first friendly announced.