Premier League leaders Arsenal mark their return to non-competitive action on Thursday afternoon, as Lyon lie in wait for their opening Dubai Super Cup match at the Al Maktoum Stadium.
AC Milan and Liverpool are also involved in the four-team friendly tournament as the four continental giants gear up for their return to domestic duties following the World Cup.
Match preview
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Barring an early EFL Cup exit to Brighton & Hove Albion, defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford and a somewhat disappointing draw away at Southampton, the start to the 2022-23 season has been a better one than many Arsenal fans could have ever envisaged.
Mikel Arteta's side are guaranteed to be top of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 2007-08 season as they hold a five-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City, whom they were due to meet prior to the World Cup break before the death of Queen Elizabeth II threw the footballing calendar into disarray.
A straightforward 2-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers came in the same weekend that Man City were stunned 2-1 by Brentford at the Etihad Stadium, allowing Arteta to steer his current team out of sight over his former employers, but all eyes will be on whether they can maintain a title charge in the New Year.
News of a serious injury to Gabriel Jesus has already led some Arsenal fans to concede defeat in the title race - similar to the 2007-08 season, when the Gunners fell off the pace after Eduardo da Silva's horrific leg break - but victory over West Ham United on Boxing Day could go a long way to holding their place at the summit.
Following Thursday's contest with Lyon, Arsenal will round off their warm-weather training camp in Dubai with a fixture against AC Milan on Tuesday before returning home, where Juventus will be waiting at the Emirates for another tantalizing exhibition encounter on December 17.
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Amid his perennial struggles to force his way into the France setup - even one that has been decimated by injuries - former Arsenal captain Alexandre Lacazette is set for a swift reunion with the team he served for five years, but his impressive form back in his homeland has left some questioning where that ruthlessness was during his final days in red and white.
Having immediately been handed the captain's armband upon his return to Les Gones, Lacazette has rediscovered the form that caught the eye of Arsenal in the first place, already scoring nine goals and setting up three more in 15 Ligue 1 outings during a new era for Lyon.
Peter Bosz's departure was a case of when and not if for a number of months, but Laurent Blanc has overseen a steady period since replacing the Dutchman back in October, picking up seven points from his first five Ligue 1 games after masterminding wins over Montpellier HSC and 2020-21 champions Lille.
Just before the World Cup break, former Arsenal striker Lacazette and current Gunners loanee Nicolas Pepe both scored from the spot as Lyon and Nice played out a 1-1 draw, one which leaves Les Gones eighth in the table with 21 points from their opening 15 games, and they ran out 5-3 winners over OH Leuven in a friendly at the start of the month.
Blanc therefore has plenty of work to do if he is to steer Lyon back into Europe, with Les Gones seven points adrift of the European spots and 10 behind third-placed Rennes, and they are no strangers to friendly wins over Arsenal, who lost to the French side 2-1 in the Emirates Cup following a brace from Moussa Dembele.
Team News
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At the time of writing, Arsenal still have Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli representing their nations at the World Cup, while Matt Turner, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka's nations have been knocked out, and Ben White withdrew from the England camp due to personal reasons.
White has not made the journey to Dubai, and neither has Jesus as he recovers from a knee operation, but there is a spot on the plane for Emile Smith Rowe as he steps up his recovery from groin surgery.
Smith Rowe is unlikely to be involved in December's friendlies as he pushes for a return to first-team action in January, but senior players such as Gabriel Magalhaes, Kieran Tierney and Mohamed Elneny could all start before Arteta rings the second-half changes.
Meanwhile, Lyon only have one remaining World Cup representative in the form of Argentina left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, with Karl Toko Ekambi's Cameroon suffering an early exit in the group stage despite a last-gasp 1-0 win over Brazil.
Former Arsenal youngster Jeff Reine-Adelaide has made the trip to Dubai despite a thigh injury, as has the luckless Corentin Tolisso, although Jerome Boateng (knee) is not involved as he continues his recovery.
Lacazette will expect to headline a strong Lyon starting XI, which could also feature the likes of Rayan Cherki, Anthony Lopes and former Arsenal target Houssem Aouar.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Hein; Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Elneny, Lokonga; Nelson, Odegaard, Marquinhos; Nketiah
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Gusto, Diomande, Lukeba, Henrique; Tolisso, Mendes, Aouar; Cherki, Lacazette, Tete
We say: Arsenal 1-2 Lyon
Both managers will no doubt take this opportunity to test out some of their up-and-coming starlets and will not read too much into the result, but Lyon have far more of their regular first-teamers available compared to Arsenal.
Arteta has witnessed his second-string players struggle to replicate the feats of their superiors all season long, and as a result, we expect Les Gones to take the spoils in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
