Preview: Arsenal vs Como - prediction, team news, lineups

Arsenal's final friendly before the Community Shield will take place at the Emirates against Como on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta will be keen to bounce back with a victory against Cesc Fabregas's visitors, with the head coach having lost against Borussia Dortmund last weekend, and a win on Wednesday will be perfect preparation for Sunday's clash with Manchester City.

Match preview

Arsenal's pre-season is nearing its end, but they have now lost two and won one of their three friendlies this summer, with their latest result a 3-2 defeat to Dortmund on Sunday.

Arteta will not be particularly concerned by the result given this period is about building fitness and implementing new tactics ahead of the new Premier League season.

However, there are undoubtedly gaps in his squad, and it will be concerning to supporters that the side look short in the forward line.

Viktor Gyokeres may have scored from the penalty spot against Dortmund, but he struggled in a number of areas during the match, including linking play with his teammates.

While the Londoners were triumphant in the four home games prior to their defeat to Borussia Dortmund, they have lost two and drawn one of their last seven outings at the Emirates.

Arsenal scored one or fewer goals in four of those seven matches, though they managed to keep five clean sheets, and their defensive frailty against BVB was uncharacteristic.

A return to the Emirates for Fabregas is sure to be a memorable occasion, even if there is a chance that his eight years of service are somewhat tainted by his five years at rivals Chelsea.

Como may have finished fourth in Serie A last term, but that was arguably the most impressive achievement of any team in Italy considering Champions League qualification for a team that were in Serie D as recently as 2017-18 was unthinkable.

The visitors' pre-season campaign has been relatively straightforward, with the club experiencing two wins, one stalemate and one penalty-shootout loss.

I Biancoblu found the back of the net on nine occasions in those fixtures, while they conceded six goals, and they have now failed to keep a clean sheet for five consecutive games.

Como's record on their travels was strong in the league in 2025-26 given they ended the season with three victories in a row on the road, and only AC Milan and Inter Milan boasted better away records.

Arsenal friendly form:

Como friendly form:

Team News

Arsenal fans will be keen to catch a glimpse of newcomer Bruno Guimaraes, who signed for the club last week after his £75m move from Newcastle United.

Declan Rice has returned to training after an extended break following his World Cup exploits, as have Bukayo Saka and David Raya, so expect all three to make an appearance at some point.

Arteta has already revealed that defenders William Saliba and Jurrien Timber will miss a significant period, with the former ruled out for months, so a makeshift backline featuring the likes of Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera is likely to be selected.

Como signed centre-back Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea at the beginning of August, and he is in line to make his first appearance for the club.

Midfielders Maximo Perrone and Adrian Lahdo could start ahead of an attacking quartet of Assane Diao, Maxence Caqueret, Mattia Liberali and Anastasios Douvikas.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz

Como possible starting lineup:

Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Chalobah, Kaiki; Perrone, Lahdo; Diao, Caqueret, Liberali; Douvikas

We say: Arsenal 2-1 Como

It would be surprising if the game was particularly high scoring, though the addition of Guimaraes to the hosts' midfield could be a significant boost.

Arsenal will hope to improve defensively, and the return of key stars may help them get over the line at the Emirates on Wednesday without too much trouble.

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