In their third and final preseason match of their tour of the United States, Arsenal will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face FC Barcelona on Thursday morning.
See you at @SoFiStadium, Arsenal 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ssP7KMgVTz
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 25, 2023
On Saturday night, the Gunners were defeated 2-0 by Premier League rivals Manchester United.
In their four games this summer in preparation for the 2023–24 season, Mikel Arteta’s team have so far won one, tied two, and lost one.
All three new signings started together for the first time since their arrivals. Ben White was replaced at right-back by Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice formed a midfield trio with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.
Leandro Trossard, who was a concern ahead of the game, managed to get additional minutes into his legs after coming off the bench in the 71st minute.
There were also minutes for Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira, with the former featuring for the first time after being allowed extra time due to his participation in the Under-21 European Championships.
One player whose participation against Xavi’s side is in doubt is Folarin Balogun.
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The striker trained separately from the rest of the squad in Los Angeles with a series of shuttle runs with a fitness coach. The decision to exclude the USMNT star adds further doubt over his future at the club.
There was a boost in the form of Gabriel Martinelli’s return. The Brazilian had missed the 1-1 draw with Nurnberg before playing over half hour in the Gunners’ 5-0 win over the MLS All-Stars on Thursday.
Against United, he clocked up a further 59 minutes.
Reiss Nelson is the only other injury currently after a laceration in his foot.
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