Girona vs Arsenal Preview – prediction, team news, lineups | Pre-Season Friendly

Reigning English champions eye commencing their pre-season campaign with a big win.

Estadi Municipal de Montilivi in Girona, Spain, gears up to host a club friendly fixture. Spanish outfit Girona and reigning English champions from North London, Arsenal, are set for a thrilling contest.

From finishing third two years ago to getting relegated to the Spanish second tier, Blanquivermells are going through a catastrophic run. They are winless in their last five games. They are coming after a 3-3 draw against Castellon, after Vanat scored a brace in the last game.

After Michel made a move to Ajax, Girona appointed Quique Alvarez. He had previously been in the managerial helm of teams like Barcelona youth, Villarreal, and Levante. After managing the reserves side of Girona, he was promoted as head coach of the senior team.

After that heartbreaking defeat against PSG in the UEFA Champions League final, Arsenal will kickstart their friendly campaign against Spanish outfit Girona. After coming agonisingly close to winning major silverware, Mikel Arteta finally put his hands on the English Premier League trophy.

They roped in Ecuadorian full-back Hincapie from Leverkusen, who was initially on loan. The Gunners triggered their purchase option. Their squad looks more or less the same so far, with winger Trossard leaving North London to find his new home in Turkiye.

Kick-off:

• Location: Girona, Spain
• Stadium: Estadi Municipal de Montilivi
• Kick-off time: 7 p.m. BST / 11:30 p.m. IST
• Date: Saturday, 1 August
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: Not in use

Form:

Girona (in all competitions): D-D-L-D-D

Arsenal (in all competitions): L-W-W-W-W

Players to Watch

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Born in the southwest part of Barcelona, Gil spent a few seasons at Tottenham before making a permanent move to Girona. One of the most talented young wingers in Europe, Gil has had decent playing time at Girona. He will be keen to make an impact against London outfit Arsenal.

A product of Sevilla’s youth academy, Gil was part of Spain’s Olympic contingent that won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He will be up against a solid Arsenal defence. He will be keen to find the back of the net against the Gunners, who will kickstart their pre-season campaign in Spain.

Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)

The Brazilian striker made a move to the Emirates after winning a lot of silverware with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Last season, he made seven goal contributions in over 25 games for Arsenal. He will compete for a spot in the playing eleven in an elite squad.

The Sao Paulo-born striker is a veteran of two World Cups and has made several appearances for the Brazil national team. Jesus is a big-match player who offers tactical flexibility to Mikel Arteta. His experience makes him a valuable asset.

Match Facts

• These two sides met once at the UCL in 2024-25.
• Arsenal won the game 2-1 against Girona.
• Nwaneri and Jorginho scored for the Gunners in the last game.

Girona vs Arsenal: Betting Tips and Odds

• Arsenal to win the game – 17/20 with bet365
• Gabriel Jesus to score – 13/8 with bet365
• Girona 0-3 Arsenal – 14/1 with bet365

Injury and Team News

William Saliba, Timber and Norgaard are missing due to injury concerns. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Madueke, Raya and some other Arsenal stars are also absent. They haven’t returned to camp yet.

Portu of Girona suffered a ligament injury and is expected to be out.

Head-to-Head

Total games: 01

Girona won: 00

Arsenal won: 01

Matches drawn: 00

Predicted Lineups

Girona predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Paulo Gazzaniga (GK); Arnau Martínez, David López, Antal Yaakobishvili, Alejandro Francés; Gabriel Misehouy, Iván Martín, Donny van de Beek; Iker Almena, Abel Ruiz, Bryan Gil

Arsenal predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Kepa (GK); Ben White, Mosquera, Salmon, Riccardo Calafiori; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Ethan Nwaneri; Max Dowman, Gabriel Jesus, Christos Tzolis

Match Prediction

Despite Arsenal missing most of their big names, they are technically still superior. They are likely to clinch a dominating big win over struggling Girona, who are yet to win a game in their last nine matches.

Prediction: Girona 0-3 Arsenal

Telecast Details

India: FanCode

Worldwide: Arsenal app (subscription required)

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.