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

Aiming to go two for two at the start of pre-season, Premier League champions Arsenal play their first official exhibition game of the summer on Saturday, when they reunite with 2024-25 Champions League foes Girona at Estadio Montilivi.

The Gunners eased past MK Dons 3-0 behind closed doors a few days ago, while their Spanish hosts have produced the dictionary definition of a mixed bag of pre-season results thus far.

Match preview

While Arsenal fans everywhere were whipped into a Vinicius Junior transfer frenzy last weekend, Mikel Arteta's hotch-potch squad - missing a plethora of players who progressed to the latter stages of the World Cup - started pre-season in the best way; by out-gunning Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal's bitterest rivals could only put one goal past MK Dons at their training centre, but the English champions hit the League One side for three without reply, courtesy of strikes from Reiss Nelson, Ethan Nwaneri and 18-year-old striker Ceadach O'Neill.

Forgotten winger Nelson - one of several candidates for a summer transfer - was teed up by new winger Christos Tzolis, registering his first unofficial assist in Arsenal colours after setting up a sensational 29 goals for Club Brugge last season, while scoring 22 of his own.

Sporting director Andrea Berta nevertheless continues his tireless search for another attacking upgrade, but chances of a blockbuster deal for Vini Jr - whose priority is still to agree a new Real Madrid contract - appear slim, while Newcastle United continue to play hardball in Bruno Guimaraes negotiations.

Arteta addressed Arsenal's lack of transfer activity directly after landing in Girona, where they will play the second of five summer friendlies before meeting Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund - in the Emirates Cup - and Cesc Fabregas's Como later in August.

Only 18 months have passed since Arsenal and Girona squared off in Europe's premier competition, in which the Blanquivermells gave the Gunners a scare before Nwaneri and Jorginho's strikes proved decisive in a 2-1 Champions League win.

However, while Arsenal have now conquered their dominion, Girona will not even be present in the top flight of Spanish football next season, as their 19th-placed La Liga finish in 2025-26 ended a four-year stay in the top division.

The hosts had flirted with relegation the year before - ending up in 16th in 2024-25 after a stunning third-placed ranking in 2023-24 - and long-serving manager Michel, who originally took Girona back to the top tier from the Segunda Division, has made way for Quique Alvarez.

The former Barcelona academy graduate and Villarreal stalwart has overseen an average start to pre-season, as the Blanquivermells have beaten Olot 3-1, lost 1-0 to Alaves and drawn 3-3 with Castellon in their three warm-up matches thus far.

Arsenal will provide Girona's only international competition this summer, as Alvarez's men round off pre-season against Sabadell and Gimnastic, before hosting Leganes in their LaLiga2 opener on August 16.

Girona friendly form:

Arsenal friendly form:

Team News

A sight for sore Arsenal eyes, Ben White and Jurrien Timber were pictured boarding the plane to Spain after their severe knee and groin injuries respectively, but Timber has now returned to London to continue his rehabilitation.

The Gunners are already missing fellow defender William Saliba - likely for a number of months - due to the long-standing back injury he exacerbated in France's World Cup semi-final loss to Spain, so 16-year-old Marli Salmon could be given a run-out in defence.

Piero Hincapie, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres have all joined up with the squad after their World Cup 2026 exploits, while Fabio Vieira is also present despite the expectation that he will complete a permanent move away in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, only one existing Girona player was summoned for the World Cup in Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who remains on a well-earned break after helping the Atlas Lions reach the quarter-finals.

Ounahi is one of a few notable names still on the books despite Girona's relegation, a list that also includes Ukrainian attackers Vladyslav Vanat and Viktor Tsygankov, and one-time Tottenham Hotspur winger Bryan Gil.

Forgotten man Donny van de Beek also sports the red and white stripes, but the Manchester United flop played just two matches in the 2025-26 season due to a serious Achilles injury; he at least managed 45 minutes against Castellon on Wednesday.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Krapyvytsov; A. Martinez, Lopez, Yaakobishvili, Moreno; Beltran, Martin; Camara, Misehouy, Gil; Vanat

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Kepa; Mosquera, Salmon, Calafiori, Hincapie; Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard; Dowman, Nwaneri, Tzolis; Jesus

We say: Girona 1-2 Arsenal

Still boasting eye-catching and in-form attacking talent - Vanat netted twice in the draw with Castellon - Girona have the tools to trouble a second-string Arsenal side with a makeshift backline.

However, Alvarez's side are yet to keep a clean sheet in pre-season, and the Gunners' offensive quality with Nwaneri, Max Dowman and new boy Tzolis should shine through.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.