Arsenal are set to take on Bayer Leverkusen in the first of two Emirates Cup clashes ahead of the Premier League season.
The Emirates Cup is returning, with Arsenal facing Leverkusen and French side Olympique Lyonnais before the season kicks off at home to Wolves, and it is the final chance for Mikel Arteta to get his squad into the best possible shape.
Arteta has a near-full squad at his disposal, with Takehiro Tomiyasu the only expected injury absentee, and he will welcome back the players who missed the USA pre-season tour as a result of their participation in the Euro 2024 final.
Arsenal will come up against a familiar face in Granit Xhaka, and Leverkusen will also reunite with their former prodigal talent Kai Havertz, but there are more connections between the two clubs beyond the pair, with six separate links between the two clubs.
Six connections between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen
Granit Xhaka
Xhaka went through a roller-coaster few years at Arsenal since joining in 2016, and was on the verge of leaving after he had the captaincy stripped, but Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay.
The midfielder saw his reputation enjoy a remarkable turnaround as Arsenal’s form improved in his final 18 months, and moving to an advanced midfield role in his final season allowed him to fully thrive.
He went from villain to fan favourite in his final year before departing for Leverkusen, where he enjoyed a historic campaign as he helped his side win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal undefeated, and reached the Europa League final.
Xhaka is due to get a positive reception as he returns to the Emirates for the first time as a German champion.
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz was one of the most promising teenagers in Europe at Bayer Leverkusen, playing in an advanced midfield role.
This earned him a £70m move to Chelsea in 2020, which was a record sale for Leverkusen, but the 21-year-old failed to hit the same form at Stamford Bridge.
Despite winning the Champions League, Havertz failed to live up to his reputation he gained at Leverkusen, with 46 goals and 31 assists in 150 games, but he has beginning to show his true talent under Arteta at Arsenal.
Bernd Leno
The summer of 2018 was a time of huge change for Arsenal, and this extended to the goalkeeping roster, as Unai Emery brought in Bernd Leno from Leverkusen.
Leno was a popular number-one at his club, with 100 clean sheets in 304 games, and a full-fledged German International.
The goalkeeper performed well for the most part in a difficult period for Arsenal, before Arteta replaced him with Aaron Ramsdale, and he is now at Fulham alongside Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe.
Nathan Tella
The former Southampton and Burnley winger actually came through the academy at Arsenal, but he did not make the grade ahead of the likes of Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson.
However, Nathan Tella is now thriving at Leverkusen, and even admitted that he is still an Arsenal fan who follows the team closely.
Whilst the focus will be on Xhaka, Tella will return to the Emirates with the Bundesliga side as a Champion made in Hale End.
Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta
Leverkusen’s success was masterminded by former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is a childhood friend of Mikel Arteta.
Alonso and Arteta both grew up in the Basque region of Spain, and whilst Alonso was the superior player, both followed similar paths. Both played for Real Sociedad, and both moved to Merseyside, with Alonso excelling at Liverpool and Arteta at Everton.
They are two of the top managers in football right now, and it will be intriguing to see their tactical philosophies come up against each other.
Arsenal and Leverkusen Invincibles
Arsenal’s unbeaten season in 2003-04 is the standalone greatest achievement in the club’s history, and Arsene Wenger’s squad earned the title of ‘The Invincibles.’
It is a feat that no one else has accomplished in English football, but Alonso’s Leverkusen side made history last season as they went unbeaten in the Bundesliga.
Arsenal won 26 and drew 12 of their 38 games as Invincibles, whilst Leverkusen won 28 and drew six of their 34 matches last season.
This friendly will be the battle of the Invincibles, 20 years on from Arsenal’s achievement and immediately after Leverkusen managed it.
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