It has been confirmed that Arsenal will play Chelsea and Sp*rs in the two weeks building up to the start of the new season.
The Gunners will host the Blues at Emirates Stadium on 1 August before travelling up the Seven Sisters Road a week later to face Sp*rs. In between, our two London rivals will also play each other at Stamford Bridge on 4 August.
Organised in conjunction with charity Mind, the trio of games – dubbed The Mind Series – is being used to deflect from the PR disaster that was the Super League help raise awareness of the importance of mental health.
£5 from each ticket sold will support charitable projects, with 25 per cent going to Mind and 75 per cent to the respective club Foundations.
Mikel Arteta said: “As we take steps forward out of the pandemic, we’re happy to play in a series which promotes better mental health. The last 18 months have been incredibly difficult and so many people – including many of our own fans – understandably need some extra support for their mental wellbeing.
“Of course, these pre-season games will provide our teams with excellent high-quality preparation ahead of next season, but also very importantly they will be raising funds and awareness for organisations, like Mind, who give their outstanding support to those who need it the most in difficult circumstances.”
Given we’ve organised six fixtures in the month before we face Brentford in the first game of the new Premier League campaign on Friday, 13 August, we’re assuming that there won’t be an Emirates Cup this summer.
Arsenal’s pre-season schedule
Hibernian vs Arsenal
13 July
Easter Road
Rangers vs Arsenal
17 July
Hampden Park
Arsenal vs Inter Milan
25 July
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Arsenal vs Everton / Millonarios
28 July
Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Arsenal vs Chelsea
1 August
Emirates Stadium
Sp*rs vs Arsenal
8 August
White Hart Lane
Not a fan at all of playing friendlies against those teams.. There’s nothing enjoyable about those games, it’s just about winning. Good to make some charity games, but i wish it was against less obnoxious teams (e.g. literally any other club in the world)
I don’t feel the tribalism, maybe because I’m old?? 🙂
Ohh dear me. The Spuds in pre-season. Who thought that was a good idea? Rivals don’t play friendlies in my book.
This is just another step on the dilution of the sport, of passionate rivalry. Does nobody care anymore?
The game we love is inching ever closer to a soul-less, franchised, rivalry-less NFL husk. Tragic.
Just wait until they start interupting the games for commercial breaks!
I think you can be more dramatic. /s
NFL has plenty of rivalries
Why not do a PL pre season before the PL starts?
To prepare us for what is coming…and do it all around europe to spread the word…foorball…virus… What ever..
COYG
Someone’s playing mind games with us
Am I the only one who misses the Emirates Cup?
I miss the Makita Cup
Forever sullied for me by the double whammy of Drogba scoring against us again whilst playing for Galatasary, including a penalty earnt from a not untypical dive
That of course xoming after the year we played disgusting energy drink New York and Thierry got a louder cheer then entire Arsenal team combined
Anyone called it “The Mind Games” yet?
That Hibernian match is in 3 weeks today… can’t wait to see all of our new signings ummm Azeez and Balogun. I don’t have much issue with playing Spuds and Chelsea; keeps the players in London and gives a chance for some fringe/youngsters to play in what could be relatively full stadiums (even if not yet at 100% capacity), and should make a bit of cash for both club and charity. Doesn’t dilute from the Premier League at all in my opinion. These friendlies may also be shop-window games for Willock, Nelson, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah, Kolasinac, Runarsson, and – dare I… Read more »
I think you should go further to better represent our current transfer strategy and say “These friendlies may also be shop-window games for Willock, Nelson, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah, Kolasinac, Runarsson, Xaka, Mavropanos, Bellerin, Elneny, Cedric, Holding, Saliba, Leno, Lacazette, and – dare I say Willian – if none of them have found a new club by then.”
Am I the only one who doesn’t like playing out rivals in pre-season? We see enough of them during a league year.
So stupid when they constitute our 2nd and 6th games respectively too. Ehy offer up any sense of how we might take on those games even if playing the reserves