
Arsenal return to the pitch on Wednesday evening with a home encounter against Villarreal. The Gunners have only just returned from their summer tour of Asia but the games continue to come thick and fast for them.
Arsenal did deliver some strong performances in Singapore in their wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United but they were to end their time in the Far East with a 1-0 loss against Tottenham. Head coach Mikel Arteta will want to see his team return to winning ways as they look to put themselves in the best possible position to attack the new campaign.
Arsenal have another friendly on the calendar before their trip to Old Trafford, with Athletic Club to come at the Emirates on Saturday in the Emirates Cup. So what do Arsenal fans have to look forward to in Wednesday's match at home to Villarreal? football.london takes a look below.
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Madueke debutNoni Madueke is now with his Arsenal teammates after linking up with them following their pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong. The new signing missed out on the trip as he was given time off to recover from an extremely long season with Chelsea.
Arsenal fans have been given a glimpse of Madueke in action on the training pitch and the hope will be that he can make his debut later today against Villarreal. If that is indeed the case, he will more than likely be eased into action by Arteta just as he did with fellow new signings Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera in the Tottenham game.
Given the reaction to his signing from some Arsenal fans, Madueke will be intent on demonstrating why Arteta and Andrea Berta were so keen to lure him to the club. An eye-catching display would be the dream response.
Gyokeres and Mosquera minutesThe pre-season friendly against Villarreal should see an increase in pitch time for Gyokeres and Mosquera. The duo came on in the 77th minute in the defeat against Tottenham last week and that left them with next to no time to make an impact.
Speaking to football.london in his post-match press conference, Arteta said when they play against Villarreal he is "sure it will be different" for the pair. Both will be hoping to start the game as they look to make their case for a starting spot on the opening weekend of the season against Manchester United.
All will be keeping their fingers crossed that Gyokeres can find the net as he looks to replicate his incredible Sporting CP goal return for Arsenal.
Dowman home bowArsenal fans want to see more of Max Dowman in action after making such an impression in Asia. The 15-year-old didn't start any of the team's three games but he made such an impression when he came off the bench, most notably against Newcastle United as he won the team a late penalty that Martin Odegaard converted to win the game.
From what we have seen of him in pre-season so far, Dowman does look ready to step up to the first team and play when an opportunity arises. Another strong showing, this time at the Emirates Stadium, and all the current noise about the player will only crank up another level or two.
Injury updateArteta had to do without a number of his players for the last friendly against Tottenham due to injury. Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber, who had not featured at all in Asia, missed out once again and there was to be no place in the squad for Riccardo Calafiori after he left the field early in the second half in the win over Newcastle.
Kepa Arrizabalaga also missed out on the squad due to injury for the Tottenham showdown in Hong Kong. Ahead of Wednesday's Villarreal fixture, Gabriel was spotted back in training at the club's base and the same went for Timber and Kepa.
However, there was no sighting of Calafiori or Leandro Trossard during the session. Arteta's matchday selection and potential minutes for some of the aforementioned players will give a good indication as to their current fitness levels.
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