Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's International Champions Cup clash between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid at The National Stadium in Singapore!

This will be the first major test for both clubs in their pre-season regimes, and if the quality of the opposition wasn't enough, you can be sure that there will be hot and humid conditions in Singapore to make things even more difficult.

The new season is fast approaching, though, so time is running out to get these players back up to speed!

Kickoff for this match is at 12.35pm BST - that is 7.35pm local time in Singapore - so the team news should be imminent from both clubs.

As if often the case with pre-season games, though, the team which starts this match is expected to be vastly different from the team which ends it as both managers look to give as many of their players game time as possible.

These pre-season contests are all about getting the players up to speed - more so than even the result - but there are plenty of players in both squads for whom this is a very important chance to impress.

Fringe players who may not have got much of a chance last season - or may have even been out on loan at a different club - have the chance to work their way into the manager's thinking - particularly in Arsenal's case when there is a new man at the helm too.

A touch later than planned, but the team news is finally in...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Kolasinac; Ramsey, Guendouzi, Nelson; Smith Rowe, Aubameyang, Lacazette

Atletico are being extra tardy with their own team news, so let's have a quick look at Arsenal before we bring you the La Liga side's lineup too.

The most notable thing about Arsenal's starting XI is that a number of their new signings are included, with Bernd Leno among them as he gets the nod in goal. Petr Cech recently spoke of his desire to fight for a place in the first team despite the arrival of Leno, but it seems as thought the new arrival will start off as Emery's first choice.

Guendouzi also gets the nod in central midfield, with Sokratis the only one of the summer signings who is on this pre-season tour to miss out.

Guendouzi has perhaps been brought in as one for the future more than with a view to playing every game in the Premier League this term, but this is a good chance for him to impress alongside Nelson and Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey's future has been in the headlines in the past few days after the Welsh midfielder admitted that he is still uncertain over his future at the club - an issue they must surely look to get resolved as a matter of urgency.

The situation over the contracts of Sanchez and Ozil hung over the club for a long time before their were finally sorted in contrasting manners, and they cannot afford a repeat of that with another key player.

There is a lot of buzz about youngster Smith Rowe at the moment, with new boss Unai Emery talking him up in recent interviews and saying that he has been very impressed with him since taking over, so he is certainly one to watch tonight.

It cannot hurt him to be playing alongside the likes of Aubameyang and Lacazette either, both of whom were on the scoresheet in Arsenal's opening pre-season game against Boreham Wood.

Indeed, Aubameyang hit a 10-minute hat-trick in that game to send Arsenal racing into an early 3-0 lead, and despite Arsenal's disappointing performances in recent seasons, there is no doubt that they boast one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

Whether Emery deploys Aubameyang and Lacazette in the same team remains to be seen - the early pre-season signs suggest that he might - but there is plenty of firepower there for Arsenal with Mkhitaryan and Ozil in behind too.

ATLETICO MADRID STARTING XI: Oblak; Juanfran, Montero, Thomas, Moya; Rodrigo, Olabe, Joaquín, Correa, Gameiro; Vietto

Atletico have finally deigned to grace us with their team news, and it was always likely to be a severely weakened team considering they have so many players still on holiday after the World Cup.

The likes of Diego Costa, Saul Niguez, Koke, Diego Godin, Jose Gimenezm, Sime Vjsaljko, Antoine Griezmann and new signing Thomas Lemar - the latter of whom won the World Cup with France - are all unavailable today, ripping a large chunk of the first-choice team away from Simeone.

There are still some notable inclusions, though, including goalkeeper Jan Oblak who was tenuously linked with a move away from the club this summer - although that is not something Atletico ever seriously considered.

The likes of Juanfran, Correa, Gameiro and Vietto are also included, so this will by no means be a walk in the park for Arsenal, but it will not exactly be a repeat of their Europa League semi-final from a few months ago either.

Even with that depleted Atletico XI, this match represents a significant step up in quality for Arsenal's pre-season preparations, having so far cruised to convincing victories over Boreham Wood and Crawley Town.

The Gunners hit eight past Boreham Wood in what was Unai Emery's first match at the helm, but this will be the Spaniard's first real test against a team who are at the level his side are aspiring to reach next season.

This is the first of three International Champions Cup matches for Arsenal this summer, with the second also coming in Singapore when they take on French giants Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

Unlike their Premier League rivals out in America, Arsenal will end their tour of Singapore after two games before flying back to Dublin, where they will take on Chelsea in their final ICC match next Wednesday.

After that Emery's side will then face Lazio in Stockholm for their final friendly before the real stuff gets underway on August 12.

Emery has not exactly been handed a kind start to his time as Arsenal boss either, with the opening match of the Premier League season coming at home to champions Manchester City, who were so impressive as they stormed to the title last season.

Victory in that game would, of course, be a perfect start for the Spaniard, but there has been a seismic change at the Emirates and that often takes time to work, so to face a team who last season established themselves as the best in Premier League history is not an ideal start.

As if that wasn't enough, Arsenal then take on London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their second match of the season, making it two top-six rivals in their opening two games.

Things do get a little easier on paper after that, as you might expect, but their first five games still present different tests - a London derby against a West Ham side that has done good business this summer, an away game against newly-promoted Cardiff, who could still be riding that wave after promotion, and a long trip up to face Newcastle at St James' Park.

Other key dates in the first half of the season include a tricky double-header in early December, when they will host Tottenham Hotspur in the first North London derby of the campaign before facing Manchester United at Old Trafford three days later.

There does, however, seem to be an air of optimism around the club ahead of the new season - helped largely by the change of manager, and the fact that new boss Unai Emery has a history of leading teams to success.

There is no doubting that Emery has a major job on his hands after the club spent so long under Arsene Wenger, particularly considering that things ended with a rather toxic atmosphere between the fans, Wenger and the board.

The Spaniard is the first new Arsenal boss since 1996, so there will of course be elements of Wenger's Arsenal which take a while to fade away, but Emery is coming off the back of a season in which he won the domestic treble, and he also has a very good record in the Europa League so Arsenal fans may be hopeful of getting into the Champions League via that route this season.

Europa League glory was not a million miles away last season either, but it was today's opponents who ended Arsenal's dream in the semi-finals, capping off a miserable campaign for the Gunners which also saw them finish sixth in the Premier League table - their lowest finish since 1994-95.

Arsenal were a whopping 37 points behind champions Man City in the end and 12 points off a top-four place, while the cup competitions offered little solace either, crashing out in the third round of the FA Cup and losing in the final of the EFL Cup.

By contrast, Atletico enjoyed a very good season last term, finishing second in La Liga behind only Barcelona for their highest placing since winning the title in 2013-14.

Diego Simeone's side also overcame the disappointment of crashing out in the group stages of the Champions League by going on to win the Europa League, beating Arsenal in the semi-finals before a 3-0 victory over Marseille in the final. It was their third Europa League title in the past eight years, during which time they have also reached two Champions League finals.

Atletico will be hoping for a similarly successful campaign this season, with a stronger La Liga title challenge mixed in, and today marks the beginning of their preparations for the 2018-19 campaign.

Like Arsenal, Atletico will play two ICC games here in Singapore - also facing PSG in this very stadium next Monday - before completing the tournament at home to Inter Milan on August 11, which will be their final pre-season game before the start of their campaign.

Simeone's side will also face Stuttgart and Cagliari between their matches against PSG and Inter Milan.

Atletico's season gets underway on August 15 when, as Europa League champions, they will take on city rivals Real Madrid in the European Super Cup final in Tallinn, Estonia - a trophy Atletico have previously won in 2010 and 2012.

The La Liga season begins that weekend, but Atletico have been handed an extra rest and will not play until Monday, August 20 when they take on Valencia at the Mestalla.

Simeone's side will also face Rayo Vallecano, Celta Vigo, Eibar and Getafe in their opening five games, with their first top-three clash not coming until September 29 when they face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Atletico will then have to wait until November 24 for their first meeting with champions Barcelona, which will come at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico have spent fairly big this summer in a bid to push Barcelona harder in the title race, with Thomas Lemar the marquee signing in a £60m switch from Monaco. Simeone has also brought in Rodri, Antonio Adan and Gelson Martins, the latter of whom they snapped up on a free transfer yesterday after he cancelled his contract at Sporting Lisbon.

The Madrid outfit were also crucially able to keep Antoine Griezmann despite strong interest from Barcelona, although they did lose two club legends as Gabi and Fernando Torres both left on free transfers.

PREDICTION! Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at The National Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!

Pre-season games are notoriously difficult to call, but Arsenal are further along in their preparations and have more first-team players available, so we're going to have to back Emery's side ahead of a depleted Atletico.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Atletico 0-2 Arsenal

This will be the third meeting between these two sides this year, whereas before 2018 they had never met in a competitive match and had only crossed paths once in a friendly.

That friendly encounter came back in 2009 when Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners, meaning that the overall record between these two sides stands at one win apiece and one draw.

Of course, it was Atletico who came out on top in the match which really mattered, beating Arsenal in the semi-finals of the Europa League last season en route to lifting the trophy.

The first leg at the Emirates Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw, although Arsenal will have been kicking themselves at the end of that game, having had a man advantage since the 10th minute following Vrsaljko's early red card.

Lacazette finally gave the hosts the lead shortly after the hour mark in that game, but Griezmann levelled things up with eight minutes remaining to give 10-man Atletico an away goal to take back to the Wanda Metropolitano.

There aren't many worse places in world football to chase a one-goal deficit than away to Atletico, and so it proved for Arsenal in the second leg when Simeone's side ran out 1-0 winners.

Typically it was Diego Costa - a scourge for Arsenal during his time with Chelsea in the Premier League - who got the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time, sending Atletico through to the final 2-1 on aggregate.

Right, we're almost ready for kickoff here, so let's have a quick recap of the starting lineups...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Kolasinac; Ramsey, Guendouzi, Nelson; Smith Rowe, Aubameyang, Lacazette

ATLETICO MADRID STARTING XI: Oblak; Juanfran, Montero, Thomas, Moya; Rodrigo, Olabe, Joaquín, Correa, Gameiro; Vietto

KICKOFF:  Here we go, then! Arsenal get us underway at The National Stadium in Singapore!

Arsenal make their first break forward and Aubameyang gets his first touch, prompting roars from the pro-Arsenal crowd. There are a lot of empty seats in this stadium, but those who have come seem to be backing the Premier League club.

CHANCE!  Brilliant from Nelson down the right flank as he turns on the afterburners to burst between two players, before then beating another to reach the byline. The cross is met by Aubameyang at the back post, but his volley is deflected behind for a corner.

CHANCE!  Another half-chance for the Gunners as they keep the pressure on from the corner, with Kolasinac drilling a cross into the box which Ramsey steers wide of the near post. It was a difficult one for Ramsey, who did well to make something out of Kolasinac's powerful delivery.

Nelson has made a really bright start to this game for Arsenal. He is looking sharp and Atletico's defenders don't seem to have an answer to his raw pace at the moment.

Arsenal have enjoyed a whopping 75% of the possession in this opening 10 minutes. They are dominating the ball and moving it around sharply, and so far it is quite clear that they are a lot closer to full strength than Atletico.

SHOT!  Guendouzi tries his luck from range with a highly ambitious effort, but his strike flies a long way wide and even further over the crossbar.

CHANCE!  Aubameyang has had two volleyed chances at the back post now, but he hasn't connected with either as he would have liked. This time it comes directly from a corner as he peels away from his marker and goes for the first-time effort, but he drags it wide of the near post under pressure from Juanfran.

Arsenal have a free kick in a good shooting position here as Correa concedes a needless foul on Guendouzi...

...Aubameyang goes for goal, but he drills his effort straight into the wall. Atletico quickly break up the other end with a rare attack, but Gameiro's pass for the overlapping Juanfran is too strong and goes behind for a goal kick.

Arsenal have now completed more than three times as many passes as Atletico Madrid, although Diego Simeone's side have never been the type to pass their opposition to death. They will still feel fairly comfortable here, and there aren't any better teams at soaking up pressure and squeezing out a 1-0 win.

Unai Emery will be pretty pleased with what he has seen from his side in the opening 20 minutes here, but they are yet to have a shot on target despite dominating the possession and there have been a few signs of Atletico just growing into the game in the last few minutes.

CHANCE!  Just as I say that, Arsenal do have their first shot on the target! Ramsey picks up the ball in space on the left flank before playing it into the middle for Lacazette, who looks to have lost it but then battles to win the ball back.

The angle is against the Frenchman and he looks up for support in the middle before trying to catch Oblak out at his near post, but the Atletico keeper is not fooled and makes the save.

Almost a rare moment of danger for Arsenal as the ball is clipped in towards Gameiro, who has snuck in between the two central defenders. However, he is just a yard or so short of getting on the end of the clever pass.

SHOT!  This is more like it from Atletico, although the end product needs a bit of work. First Vietto pulls the ball back for Rodri who completely miscues his effort, and then Partey blazes one a long way over the crossbar when he should have done better.

It may be a depleted Atletico side with almost all of their star players missing, but it is shaping up to be a typical Atletico performance nonetheless. Simeone just seems able to dig out this type of performance regardless of the players he has at his disposal.

CHANCE!  Atletico create their best chance of the match so far as Juanfran reaches the byline and gets a cross away, pulling the ball back for the advancing Correa.

Correa doesn't catch his effort well at all, though, and his scuffed strike is blocked by Mustafi before it can test Leno for a first time today.

SHOT!  Another effort for Atletico as Mustafi can only clear the ball as far as Vietto, who takes it down on the edge of the box but then fires his half-volley well over the crossbar.

CHANCE!  Arsenal hit back with a chance of their own as Ramsey flicks a lovely pass around the corner to release Lacazette into the box. The angle is slightly against the striker, though, and Oblak is there to make the save from his subsequent effort.

Better from the Gunners, though!

Just over 10 minutes remaining in this first half now and, while we are still goalless, there have been a few signs which Arsenal fans will be encouraged by in this match. Atletico have grown into the game, but it is still Arsenal who look the most like scoring.

We haven't seen much of Smith Rowe so far tonight, but he bursts into life here with a quick one-two with Lacazette. However, the youngster's touch is too heavy and then he throws himself to the ground far too easily in a bid to buy a free kick, which the referee waves away.

It will be interesting to see when Unai Emery makes changes tonight, and how many he makes too. There will no doubt be a few at half time, but Emery may also want to keep some of these players on for longer as they have played well in this first half.

CHANCE!  Big chance for Arsenal to take the lead just before half time! Smith Rowe bursts forward and gives the ball to Lacazette, whose low striker across goal is only parried into a dangerous area by Jan Oblak.

Nelson is quick on to the ball and looks certain to convert the rebound into an empty net, but Olabe does just about enough to put him off and Nelson is only able to blaze his effort over the crossbar.

GOAL!  Arsenal 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Luciano Vietto)

Out of nothing, Atletico Madrid have the lead! Leno has not had a shot to save on his Arsenal debut, but he is now picking the ball out of the back of his own net with four minutes remaining of the first half.

Correa gets down the right and sends a whipped cross into the middle which Vietto meets with a really good header, powering his effort into the top corner. Nothing Leno could have done about that!

This really has been classic Atletico Madrid - and many might say classic Arsenal. The Gunners have played some nice football and have been the better team, yet they find themselves behind on the stroke of half time now.

CHANCE!  Half a chance for Arsenal as a corner finds Holding in a bit of space on the penalty spot, but he is a long way out for his header to cause any serious problems and he gets the direction wrong too, putting it comfortably wide of the target.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

HALF TIME:  Arsenal 0-1 Atletico Madrid

The first half comes to an end in Singapore, and it is Atletico Madrid who take the lead into the interval despite offering very little threat for much of the opening 45 minutes.

Arsenal, for their part, will be wondering just how they do not have the lead at the halfway stage having created the better chances and dominated possession so far, but it has been a classic Atletico Madrid performance so far.

The only goal of the game so far same just four minutes before the interval when Vietto powered a header past debutant goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who had not had a shot to save prior to that.

Arsenal were slow to react to a throw-in down the right, allowing Correa to make it to the byline and whip a cross into the box which Vietto met with a header which flew into the top corner.

Arsenal have had chances of their own, with Aubameyang, Ramsey and Lacazette all threatening the opening goal, although Jan Oblak has been as solid as ever whenever he has been called upon.

The only exception was when Oblak could only parry a Lacazette strike into the path of Nelson, but Olabe's last-ditch challenge was just enough to put Nelson off as he blazed the rebound well over the crossbar with the goal gaping.

There will no doubt be plenty of changes both at half time and throughout the second half, although with Atletico missing most of their star names Diego Simeone's hands are tied a little more than Unai Emery's.

Emery will be fairly pleased with what he has seen from his side in general so far today, but he will also be keen to have a look at others as the match wears on. The likes of Sokratis, Mkhitaryan and Nketiah are among the subs today.

KICKOFF:  Atletico Madrid get us back underway for the second half, and it looks as though there have only been a couple of changes - one for either side. Petr Cech has replaced Leno in goal for Arsenal, while new signing Antonio Adan has come on between the sticks for Atletico.

GOAL!  Arsenal 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Emile Smith Rowe)

Remember the name! Seventeen-year-old Emile Smith Rowe has just scored a stunner to level things up for Arsenal right at the start of the second half!

The youngster bursts forward into a central position to create space to shoot, but he still has a lot to do and picks out the top corner with a brilliant finish from 25 yards. Adan is beaten within two minutes of his Atletico debut, but there was nothing he could do about that one!

SAVE!  Ramsey tries his luck from range with a low drive, but he doesn't catch it as well as he would like and it is easy for Adan to collect down to his right.

Atletico look to respond as Correa floats a free kick into a good position which Rubio looks like getting on the end of, but Holding does just enough to deny the Atletico man.

Arsenal have made an encouraging start to this second half and are clearly looking to press high and win the ball back inside the Atletico half whenever possible. Atletico are struggling to get into this second half at the moment.

SHOT!  The ball drops kindly for Aubameyang around 25 yards from goal and he goes for a first-time half-volley which deflects a few yards wide of the target.

There were fewer changes than we expected at half time, but Arsenal seem to be reaping the rewards of that as they are comfortably the better team at the moment. The Gunners need to capitalise on his spell in the ascendancy, though.

CHANCE!  Oh my word, how has this stayed out?! Atletico have two glorious chances in quick succession, but somehow Arsenal survive their first real scare of this second half!

Gameiro steals the ball off Guendouzi in a dangerous area and it is worked into the middle, but Cech pulls off an incredible save to deny the first effort before a fine last-ditch block sends the rebound flying over the crossbar.

Huge let-off for Arsenal.

CHANCE!  The resulting corner drifts to an unmarked Rodri from close range, but he cannot get over the ball and his header is too high.

Suddenly it is all Atletico now. They were slow to get going in this second half, but the match has been turned on its head in the last few minutes with Atletico laying siege to the Arsenal goal now.

A couple of corners in quick succession create two more chances for Atletico, but the first header loops into the arms of Cech before Rodri again misses the target with a second attempt.

ARSENAL SUBS: Notebooks at the ready, folks - Arsenal are making their changes. It looks like almost the entire team has been changed by Emery just past the hour mark, with Mkhitaryan among those to come on.

ATLETICO SUB: Atletico make a change of their own - only one - as Oscar Pinchi replaces Joaquin.

It looks as though Guendouzi and Kolasinac are the only players still on for Arsenal from the starting lineup, with everyone else being changed - including a rare outing for Lucas Perez.

Still plenty to work on for this man, but on the whole he will be pretty pleased with the performance of his side tonight. There are already signs of him stamping his mark on this team.

Just 20 minutes remaining in this match now, and those substitutions have just upset the rhythm of the game a bit here - which isn't a bad thing for Arsenal as they were on the back foot prior to the changes.

Mesut Ozil has just been shown on the big screen and he receives a very good reception from the Arsenal fans following what has been a very difficult period for him.

ATLETICO MADRID SUBS: Time for a raft of changes from Atletico Madrid as they bring seven new faces on.

ARSENAL SUB: Arsenal also make another change, with Guendouzi being replaced by Joseph Willock.

Less than 15 minutes remaining in this match now - can anyone find a winner in these closing stages. We will go to penalties if it remains goalless after 90 minutes!

This is a very young and raw Atletico Madrid team out there now, with many of those on the field unlikely to get much gametime in La Liga next season. Arsenal can say the same themselves, of course, but they also have the likes of Mkhitaryan out there.

YELLOW CARD!  Calum Chambers becomes the first player in the book for this match.

CHANCE!  Half a chance for Arsenal as Nketiah's pace sees dart in behind the defence and get on the end of a clever through-ball. The angle is difficult for Nketiah, though, and his effort is comfortably saved by Adan.

The changes in this second half have really taken the sting out of this game, which is normal for these types of matches. Hopefully things will open up a little in the next few minutes as both sides push for a winner!

Almost a chance for Mavropanos as he creeps around the back to meet a corner, but it doesn't look like he expects the ball to beat the final defender and his first touch sends it behind for a goal kick.

It doesn't look like we will get a winner here, in truth. Both teams seem to be ready to accept a penalty shootout.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.

END OF 90 MINUTES:  Arsenal 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Penalties it is! Neither side can find a winner in the closing stages and so it will take a shootout to separate these two in their opening ICC matches!

ARSENAL 0-0 ATLETICO - CORREA MISSES! Off the post from Correa after Cech went the right way!

ARSENAL 0-0 ATLETICO - MKHITARYAN MISSES! Mkhitaryan tries to pick out the same corner as Correa tried, but Adan makes a brilliant save! Still goalless after two!

ARSENAL 0-1 ATLETICO - RODRI SCORES! New signing Rodri puts his penalty down the middle with minimum fuss.

ARSENAL 0-1 ATLETICO - WILLOCK MISSES! Adan makes another brilliant save! It is down to his other side this time, and he gets a strong hand to the ball down low to his left.

ARSENAL 0-1 ATLETICO - GARCES MISSES! Not the finest display of penalty-taking you will ever see! Cech guesses the right way and makes the save!

ARSENAL 1-1 ATLETICO - MAITLAND-NILES SCORES! Cool as you like from Maitland-Niles, who dinks the ball down the middle Panenka-style.

ARSENAL 1-2 ATLETICO - MOLLEJO SCORES! Mollejo sends Cech the wrong way to restore Atletico's lead!

ARSENAL 1-2 ATLETICO - NKETIAH MISSES! Arsenal miss again, and Adan makes a third save! It is a poor penalty, and Adan guesses the right way to make the save!

ARSENAL 1-3 ATLETICO - ADAN SCORES! Adan is the hero in the shootout with three saves and the winning penalty, which he puts in off the underside of the crossbar! The best penalty of the shootout comes from the goalkeeper to win it!

FULL TIME:  Arsenal 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Atletico win 3-1 on penalties)

Atletico Madrid emerge victorious, then, as Arsenal miss three of their four penalties in the shootout. It is perhaps a little harsh on the Gunners, who were the better team for the most part, but Atletico got the job done as they so often do after Smith Rowe had cancelled out Vietto's opener.

Debutant Antonio Adan was the hero in the shootout, though, making three saves and then producing the best penalty of the shootout to win it for his side, firing his effort in off the underside of the crossbar.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Arsenal fall to their first defeat under Unai Emery via a penalty shootout against Atletico Madrid. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.

From me, though, it is goodbye for now!