Two former Premier League midfield maestros now line up in opposing dugouts on Wednesday evening, as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal face Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates.
The Gunners recently concluded their USA tour with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Liverpool, while the Bundesliga champions shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Ligue 1 upstarts Lens last time out.
Match preview
After jokingly claiming that Arsenal would need 114 points to pip Manchester City to the 2024-25 top-flight crown, following two years as the Citizens' bridesmaids, Arsenal dropped a hypothetical three in their third and final all-Premier League affair in the USA.
Still without a host of their international stars but putting out a strong XI nonetheless, Arsenal found Harvey Elliott too hot to handle in Philadelphia, as the former Fulham starlet set up both Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah to propel Liverpool into a 2-0 lead early doors.
Kai Havertz tapped home a reply not long before the half-time whistle blew, but Liverpool's rigid defensive structure won out in the second 45. It was not for a lack of trying from Arteta's troops, but a lack of ruthlessness proved to be their undoing at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Arne Slot-inflicted loss was Arsenal's first of an otherwise positive pre-season period, where two victories over Preston North End and Manchester United arrived either side of a stalemate with Bournemouth, whom they then beat in a penalty shootout.
Now back at their North London base, Arsenal take part in their penultimate exhibition match of the summer in midweek; following the visit of Leverkusen, Lyon will be their next opponents in the Emirates Cup - their traditional curtain-raiser - on August 11.
Nearly two decades on from his midfield scraps with Arteta in Merseyside derbies, the Arsenal manager's countryman Alonso now returns to English soil with a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal medal on his CV, having emulated the Gunners' Invincibles heroes of 2003-04.
Dropping just 12 points en route to an absorbing German top-flight triumph, Leverkusen subsequently edged out Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal thanks to a trademark stunner from ex-Arsenal man Granit Xhaka, albeit only after being single-handedly put to the sword by Atalanta BC's Ademola Lookman in the Europa League final.
Since the conclusion of that season of stratospheric success, one in which Leverkusen also set a new record for the longest unbeaten run by a European club since the introduction of UEFA competitions, Die Werkself have gone steady in their warm-up period so far.
Indeed, Alonso's men edged out Rot-Weiss Essen 2-1 before being held to a four-goal draw against Lens, taking the lead twice only to throw it away on both occasions, and they host Real Betis in their closing friendly three days after their Arsenal contest.
Only twice before have the Gunners and Leverkusen crossed paths in a competitive setting, meetings that came in the 2001-02 Champions League second group stage, where a 1-1 draw in Germany preceded a 4-1 win for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal at Highbury.
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Team News
While Stateside, Arsenal confirmed the £42m signing of Italy international defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, and he may now come into contention for his unofficial Gunners debut after missing the Liverpool loss, but Arteta has hinted that he will integrate him slowly.
Over the weekend, Euro 2024 finalists Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya returned to training at London Colney - as did William Saliba - so all four should be involved on Wednesday as well, but Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both injured.
Young starlets such as Ayden Heaven, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have all been given opportunities to impress this summer, but none should make the first XI on Wednesday, where a strong XI brimming with experience should be selected by Arteta.
The Arsenal boss will no doubt share a warm embrace with Xhaka on Wednesday; the Switzerland international enjoyed a marvellous redemption arc in the second half of his Arsenal career and is expected to start for Leverkusen at his erstwhile home.
The Bundesliga champions are only waiting on full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo to return from post-Euros holidays, while 19-year-old midfielder Matija Marsenic is nursing a cruciate ligament injury but would have only made the bench at best.
Defensive cornerstone Jonathan Tah has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but he was involved in the draw with Lens and will likely travel to London too, as negotiations with Vincent Kompany's side appear to have stalled.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Hein; White, Timber, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Havertz; Nelson, Jesus, Martinelli
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Tella, Garcia, Xhaka, Belocian; Wirtz, Terrier; Boniface
We say: Arsenal 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen
There was little wrong with Arsenal's overall attacking play against Liverpool, and now returning to action in front of a packed Emirates crowd, a couple of goals should be in store for the men in red.
However, Alonso's Leverkusen are sure to make their presence felt in the final third too, and the North London crowd could be treated to a high-scoring stalemate here.
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