Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund
The Emirates Cup has been running a while now, since 2007 in fact.
That makes a lot of sense, of course, given the Emirates Stadium opened the previous year.
The initial thought of this SBOTOP observer was that Arsenal usually win the tournament on home soil. As a result, I took a look and, sure enough, since its inception, the pre-season gathering has been contested on 14 occasions and the home side has triumphed in nine of the editions.
The Gunners now welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London looking for a fifth consecutive success.
Talking Points
My second view is that victory in the competition usually leads to a spark of optimism often unrealised in the campaign to follow.
That was not the case last summer, though, and I don’t expect it to be this time around either as the perennial Bundesliga bridesmaids come to town.
Arsenal are certainly due to receive a hero’s welcome when they walk out for what will be their first home match since they were crowned Premier League champions in May.
Given their first title win for 22 years was confirmed when they weren’t playing, and was effectively celebrated at Selhurst Park five days later when they picked up the trophy, it means this is the opportunity to mark that triumph in style.
A few of their star names may not feature following their World Cup exploits deep into the tournament, but you can be sure skipper Martin Odegaard (Norway) and Declan Rice (England) will be there parading the silverware for all to see as fans salute their achievement and welcome a few new names into the fold.
One such player is Christos Tzolis who has shown glimpse of what may be to come as he scored on his debut in their pre-season win over Girona. The Greece international, signed to replace Leandro Trossard after his transfer to Besiktas, has made the switch in a £34 million transfer from Belgian side Club Brugge and will be keen to deliver Emirates Cup 2026 highlights in front of his new fans.
Tzolis will be involved against Dortmund and, while Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes won’t be, it looks like the Gunners’ pursuit of the midfielder is potentially days away from being completed.
He won’t be joined by his fellow Brazilian, Vinicius Jr, though after he agreed a new deal with Real Madrid.
While Arsenal have been linked with top performers, it has been noticeable yet again that Dortmund can not hold onto their best players.
Their 2026 star to leave for pastures new is Karim Adeyemi who has completed a move to Spanish champions Barcelona.
His goals will be hard to replace as the 24-year-old made 146 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions, registering 36 goals and 24 assists.
While Dortmund were never really close to toppling Bayern Munich at the summit last term, they were clearly the best of the rest, ultimately finishing eight points ahead of RB Leipzig in third. In Niko Kovač’s first full season in charge, BVB were defensively solid, conceding a league-low 34 goals, while only VfB Stuttgart and the title winners scored more than their tally of 70.
Dortmund’s total of 73 points was their highest since 2018/19, and they lost just two of their first 28 Bundesliga fixtures, both of which came against Bayern.
Players such as Gregor Kobel and ‘unlikely hero’ Julian Ryerson are returning to the squad on the back of strong performances at the World Cup, while Serhou Guirassy remains a prolific striker and focal point in attack.
In the week, Arsenal announced a long-term renewal of their partnership with Emirates, extending the Premier League’s longest-running front-of-shirt partnership until 2033, Sunday should have a party feel about it.
I suppose a key question now about the class of 2026 is whether the current crop of talent from this side of North London can go onto achieve what even Arsene Wenger’s excellent sides could not muster – back-to-back league championships.
History
Arsenal have won four of their eight meetings, Dortmund three and there has been one draw – all in the Champions League and all since 2002.
The most recent game was in 2014, a group stage clash when Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sanchez were the marksmen in a 2-0 home win.
Betting Guide
Make sure to check out our Emirates Cup 2026 betting odds.
After a below-par performance against Real Betis in midweek – not that results matter at this stage – I expect Mikel Arteta’s men will be edging closer towards match fitness and aim to put on a show.
Then it won’t be too long before the real business begins.
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