Arsenal continued their pre-season preparations on Wednesday evening, facing Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin as Mikel Arteta's side build towards defending their Premier League title. The friendly, kicking off at 7.30pm BST after a short delay, came on a significant day off the pitch for the Gunners, with the club edging closer to completing the signing of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
Arsenal and Newcastle have reportedly agreed a fee of around £75million for the 28-year-old, who has been given permission to travel south for a medical. Guimaraes, who had reportedly informed Newcastle of his desire to move to Arsenal earlier in the summer, is expected to complete his transfer in the coming days, though he was not part of the squad in Dublin. His departure represents another setback for Newcastle this summer following the exit of manager Eddie Howe and the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali.
Arteta named an unchanged starting XI from the side that beat Girona 4-1 at the weekend, a result that saw Arsenal lift the Costa Brava trophy. New signing Christos Tzolis, who scored on his debut against the Spanish side, retained his place, while academy graduates Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman continued to be given opportunities in midfield. Ben White, having come through 60 minutes unscathed against Girona, was assessed to see whether he could manage a fuller workload. Brazilian duo Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli were included in the matchday squad for the first time this pre-season, returning after their mandatory break following the World Cup.
Arsenal's starting lineup read: Kepa; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori; Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Havertz; Dowman, Gyokeres, Tzolis. The match also marked the unveiling of Arsenal's new Adidas third kit, worn for the first time in Dublin.
Real Betis, managed by the experienced Manuel Pellegrini, arrived in good form having won four of their five pre-season fixtures, with their only defeat coming against Granada. The LaLiga side, who finished fifth last season and reached the Europa League quarter-finals, fielded a lineup including former Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin, making his first appearance against his old club since leaving four years ago. Ex-Bournemouth loanee Rodrigo Riquelme and former West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals also started, while summer signing Fran Garcia lined up at left-back. Isco and Antony were named among the substitutes for the Spanish visitors.
The fixture offered a sterner examination for Arsenal than their opener against a relegated Girona side, with Betis's pre-season form suggesting a competitive contest in Dublin. It also served as another step in Arsenal's build-up to the Community Shield against Manchester City, scheduled for two weeks' time.
New forward Christos Tzolis, signed for £34m from Club Brugge and Arsenal's only outfield addition so far this summer, used the buildup to make a bold statement about his new club's title credentials. Despite ongoing interest in high-profile targets like Vinicius Junior and the now near-complete Guimaraes deal, Tzolis insisted that the pressure to stop Arsenal winning back-to-back titles lies with their rivals, rather than on the champions themselves to prove their credentials.
Arsenal will hope to build further momentum from the clash before turning their full attention to competitive action, with the Guimaraes deal set to bolster an already strong midfield unit once finalised.
Based on reporting from The Independent and Standard Sport.