Arsenal 2025 pre-season fixtures include global tour and Emirates homecoming. They are setting stage for the title pursuit of North London. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal begin their carefully organized 2025 pre-season fixtures. They are navigating huge high-pressure friendlies throughout Asia. This includes a prestigious home tournament interspersed, to try and end their long and painful trophy drought. They finished yet again runners-up in the Premier League for a third season running, and exited the Champions League semi-finals. But these matches will allow new recruits and tweaks to the tactical approach ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Marquee Matches: Rivalries and Rehearsals
- AC Milan (July 23): This will be the first glimpse of record transfer signing Martín Zubimendi (€65m from Real Sociedad) as a single pivot in midfield. The integration of the Spain international with Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard will be studied. Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5m from Chelsea) is expected to be in goal for the first time.
- Newcastle (July 27): This is a tactical dummy run against Eddie Howe’s potential top-four contenders. Arteta will want to explore squad depth, which will lead to appearances from younger players such as 15-year-old midfielder Max Dowman.
- Tottenham (July 31): It is critical to remember that this is the showpiece, the North London Derby in Hong Kong. Beyond the bragging rights, a different attack is possible. That is only if Arsenal sign a striker such as Benjamin Sesko before the tour.
- Emirates Cup Double Header (Aug 6 & 9): Villarreal is a technical challenge, in La Liga. Whereas Athletic Club are more of a test for the physical aspects of play that occur in the Premier League. These matches are the last rehearsal before the league opener at Manchester United on August 16.
Streaming and Accessibility
Global fans can access all matches via Arsenal’s PPV Pre-Season Pass for £9.99 early bird until July 23. Then, it will be £14.99. It will be streaming on Arsenal.com or the official app (iOS v8.1.7/Android v11.11.10 required). Notably, the pass is geo-blocked in Spain, Italy, Singapore, and Hong Kong due to local broadcast rights.
Squad and Strategic Focus
Arteta’s priorities include:
- New additions: Zubimendi and Kepa are new players to the squad, joining assistant manager Gabriel Heinze (who was appointed on July 8). Heinze has a defensive background which could change the way Arsenal defends set pieces.
- Injuries: With so many players needing to manage their minutes, particularly Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey after the fitness disaster of last season curtailed their title challenge, managing minutes and combinations will be key to success.
- Formation changes: Expect to see a trial of a 3-5-2 formation to help find the best combinations in attack, especially if a new forward arrives.
Conclusion: More Than Friendly Matches
Arsenal pre-season fixtures is more than just a few games of exhibition football. Having experienced the humidity of Singapore and the roar of the Emirates on the Gunners’ first steps toward competitive pressure, every match acted as a controlled stress test that Arsenal needs to pass in order to get their hands on any silverware. For Arteta, it is a laboratory in which he must test new signings, deploy his systems under stress, and develop resilience. All of which are non-negotiables if the Gunners want to dethrone Manchester City domestically and conquer the continent.
The Asian Tour, includes an historic North London Derby in Hong Kong, will prepare the Gunners for some difficult conditions. The Emirates fixtures are purely a controlled stress test to prepare for the competitive intensity of their first Premier League match at Old Trafford. The Gunners’ lives are still in a bit of an exhibition phase. Every match streamed via Arsenal’s PPV streaming pass to give every fan across the globe an opportunity to engage, cheering them on from wherever they may be. Overall, this pre-season is more than just pre-season preparation; it is an entertaining audition for putting an end to the club’s trophy-drought, while paying homage to the global brand of ‘Arsenal’ with elevated competitive franchise standards.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
