After testing their mettle against Premier League rivals on their US tour, Arsenal return to North London at 18:00 tonight, taking on invincible Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal and Leverkusen were two of the best sides in Europe last season, with the latter winning a domestic double and reaching the Europa League final.
Both teams boast glittering squads, and both teams have their full complement of stars back in training. For a more in depth preview of this intriguing pre-season clash, check out our prediction.
Arsenal game today: five key facts vs Leverkusen
1) First meeting in over 20 years
Despite both sides being regulars on the European stage, Arsenal and Leverkusen have only met twice previously, both in the old 2002 Champions League second group stage.
After a draw in Germany, courtesy of goals from Robert Pires and Ulf Kirsten, the Gunners blew Bayer away at Highbury, running out 4-1 winners.
All Arsenal’s stars got on the scoresheet that night, with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Pires all getting in on the act.
2) Managerial connection
Arsenal and Leverkusen have been transformed in recent years by their respective fantastic managers – Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso.
Both managers play intricate, possession football, are extremely detailed in their preparation and hail from San Sebastian in northern Spain. But their similarities do not end there, and are much more personal.
Arteta and Alonso were, in fact, close childhood friends, playing for the same youth team, Antiguoko.
They even kept in touch during their playing days at Everton and Liverpool.
Alonso, when asked recently about his old friend, said: “He was a competitive monster. He wanted to win so badly, even if it was just a game on the beach.”
The pair even traded notes ahead of their European ties last season, with Alonso passing tips onto Arteta about Bayern Munich, and Arteta returning the favour on West Ham.
This reunion of a friendly will represent a true full-circle moment for the two young managers, as they look forward to glittering careers in the dugout.
3) Other old friends
Arteta and Alonso are not the only ones who will be catching up with old friends.
This match will represent Granit Xhaka’s first time back on the Emirates Stadium pitch since his transfer last summer.
The Swiss midfielder bid an emotional farewell to Arsenal in a 5-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 2023, where he netted a fairytale brace.
The 31-year-old was serenaded with chants of “we want you to stay” that day, but things had not always been so warm.
A few years prior, Xhaka was preparing to leave after a feisty confrontation with supporters who had cheered his substitution, but Arteta convinced him to stay and win them back. He succeeded, even becoming a fan favourite.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz will also face Bayer for the first time since his £72m move to Chelsea all the way back in 2020.
The German international, who could feature in midfield or lead the line in this game, spent a decade on the books at Leverkusen, and he became a real star at the BayArena, scoring 38 goals and racking up 15 assists in his final two years at the club.
An added irony is that Havertz was ostensibly signed as Xhaka’s replacement last summer.
4) Invincibles united
Another similarity between the two clubs is the unique achievement they share in their domestic leagues: going invincible.
Bayer Leverkusen became the first ever Bundesliga side to go an entire campaign unbeaten in 2023/24, winning 28, drawing six and losing none in the German top flight.
In fact, Alonso’s incredible side only lost one game last season, the Europa League final to Atalanta, as they also romped to a DFB Pokal win.
Their remarkable feat came exactly 20 years after Arsenal had recorded the first (and still only) unbeaten season in Premier League history, winning 26, drawing 12 and losing none in 2023/24.
5) On this day: Champions League football emerged from lockdown
Four years ago today, the Champions League resumed play, after the COVID-19 pandemic had seen the iconic competition suspended halfway through the round of 16 stage.
On 7 August, 2020, Manchester City and Juventus recorded 2-1 wins over Real Madrid and Olympique Lyonnais, respectively.
In a never-since-repeated move, UEFA hosted all the remaining matches at a mini-tournament, without supporters in Portugal, to minimise the risk of transmission to the players.
