Arsenal face Barcelona in the third and final friendly of the Gunners’ pre-season tour of the USA. So, here is everything you need to know about their game in Los Angeles.
The Gunners have enjoyed mixed success across the pond this summer as Mikel Arteta gets his players prepared for another Premier League title challenge. Arsenal started off strongly as they thrashed the MLS All-Stars 5-0. But Manchester United dealt their rival a 2-0 defeat.
Barcelona now await Arteta’s squad at SoFi Stadium, home of Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke’s NFL franchise the LA Rams. The Inglewood venue is the world’s most expensive stadium at a build price of $5.5bn (£4.2bn). It has 70,000 fixed seats but a maximum capacity of 100,000.
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Arsenal have not faced Barcelona since losing 2-1 in a pre-season friendly to the La Liga side in August 2019. Luis Suarez gave the Blaugrana the win at Camp Nou after Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ own goal ruled out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Suarez also scored as Barcelona beat Arsenal 3-1 in their last competitive meeting in March 2016. Neymar and Lionel Messi also scored in the Champions League Round of 16 match at Camp Nou. So, here is everything you need to know about Arsenal and Barcelona’s friendly.
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When is Arsenal vs Barcelona?
Arsenal will meet Barcelona at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California at 19:30 local time on Wednesday, July 26. So, the clash kicks off back in England at 03:30 on Thursday, July 27.
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The 03:30 BST kick-off time also means that the pre-season friendly between Arsenal and Barcelona in Los Angeles will start at 04:30 Central European Summer Time over in Spain.
How to watch Arsenal vs Barcelona
UK fans can only watch the pre-season friendly between Arsenal and Barcelona through the Gunners’ official in-house media. The match between the 2022/23 Premier League runners-up and the reigning La Liga champions will not be broadcast live on TV anywhere in the UK.
Live stream of Arsenal vs Barcelona
Arsenal will offer a live stream of their pre-season friendly against Barcelona through their official website and app. Fans can only access the live stream on desktop, mobile devices or the Gunners’ app with a match pass. The pass costs £6.99 if bought on the day of the game.
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Fans who bought the match pass ahead of the friendly could watch Arsenal and Barcelona’s pre-season encounter for £4.99. Arsenal also sold a pre-season tour pass that included their summer matches with Nurnberg, Manchester United, Barcelona and AS Monaco for £15.99.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal have one main injury concern ahead of their pre-season friendly with Barcelona as Leandro Trossard recovers from a knock. The Belgian suffered the blow during the Gunners’ win against the MLS All-Stars. Arteta had to replace the forward 56 minutes into the fixture.
Trossard did not start against Manchester United due to the Arsenal forward’s injury. While Oleksandr Zinchenko is still recovering from a calf injury and has trained away from the rest of Arsenal’s players. So, they are unlikely to feature at the multi-billion-dollar SoFi Stadium.
Prediction: Arsenal (2) vs (2) Barcelona
Arsenal will hope to get their pre-season back on track against Barcelona after losing 2-0 to Manchester United. The Gunners brushed aside the MLS All-Stars in their first friendly over the pond. But the north Londoners lost in New Jersey after letting some mistakes creep in.
Arteta will be loath to see Arsenal repeat their mistakes in LA and will want Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Magalhaes to bounce back. The goalkeeper could have done better after getting a strong hand on Bruno Fernandes’ attempt. While Jadon Sancho seized on Gabriel’s error.
Barcelona, on the other hand, arrived in America on the back of beating Vissel Kobe 2-0. The Blaugrana kicked off their pre-season with a win at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. So, Xavi Hernandez’s side will want to keep the momentum going ahead of facing Real Madrid.
Goals, then, could easily be on the cards at SoFi Stadium. So, Arsenal Insider predicts a 2-2 draw for Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly in America against Barcelona. The Gunners have struggled to stop opponents from finding the back of their net but could just as easily score.