Arsenal are preparing to hand a debut to new signing Bruno Guimaraes when they face Como in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm on Wednesday. The Brazilian midfielder has been working alongside his new teammates in training over recent days as he builds up his fitness following his summer arrival, and manager Mikel Arteta is expected to give him some minutes on the pitch.
Rather than throwing Guimaraes straight into a full 90 minutes, Arteta could ease him in with a short cameo of around 30 minutes, following the approach he took with Martin Odegaard against Borussia Dortmund earlier in pre-season. That method has also been used with other squad members who returned late after representing their countries at the World Cup.
Several first-team regulars remain unavailable or are being managed carefully. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have returned to training with the group but are considered unlikely to feature against Como, with the match likely coming too soon in their respective returns.
In goal, David Raya could be handed some playing time, potentially splitting duties across the match with either Kepa Arrizabalaga or Illan Meslier between the posts.
Defensively, Arsenal continue to face a shortage of options on the right side, with Jurrien Timber still several weeks from a return and William Saliba out for the long term. That situation has put added focus on Ben White, who has recovered from an MCL injury over the close season and has featured prominently throughout pre-season training and matches.
However, with the Community Shield taking place just days later on Sunday, Arteta may choose to protect White from unnecessary risk in this friendly. That could open the door for youngster Marli Salmon to fill in at right-back instead.
Further forward, Kai Havertz has spent much of pre-season operating in a midfield role, but this fixture presents an opportunity for him to lead the line as a central striker. Meanwhile, winger Christos Tzolis has caught the eye during the summer schedule, adding another assist to his tally in the win over Dortmund. Despite that form, he could be named among the substitutes this time, with Gabriel Martinelli now back in contention and Arteta keen to build up his match fitness following his return to the squad.
Arsenal's predicted starting eleven for the friendly is as follows: Raya in goal; a back four of Mosquera, Salmon, Gabriel and Hincapie; Guimaraes and Lewis-Skelly in midfield; Nwaneri, Odegaard and Martinelli providing support behind Havertz up front.
Timber and Saliba remain the club's confirmed injury absentees heading into the fixture. The friendly against Como offers Arteta another chance to fine-tune his squad combinations and manage the fitness levels of returning internationals before the competitive season gets fully underway with the Community Shield looming just days later. Fans wishing to follow the action can do so via Arsenal's official YouTube channel, which will carry live coverage of the match from the Emirates Stadium.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.