Arsenal vs Villarreal
Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal continue their pre-season preparations with a useful Club Friendly against La Liga’s Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners finished second in the league last season, for the third campaign in a row, while Marcelino’s Villarreal qualified for Champions League football thanks to a fifth placed finish in the Primera Division. Arsenal’s season kicks off in two weeks time with a visit to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday 17th August, while the Yellow Submarine will host Real Oviedo in their domestic opener two days earlier.
This is a good test for Arsenal who will be keen to erase the memory of a Hong Kong defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last week, while Villarreal come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
Is Arteta’s jigsaw almost complete?
The excitement around the start of the new campaign is building day by day and, at Arsenal, the fans are desperate for success this year, though the latest SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds say second place is once again on the cards for the Gunners in a hugely competitive race. The club has spent big in the transfer window, splashing out over £150m on three players alone as Arteta has picked up the striker he has been looking for in Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon. The Arsenal boss has also bolstered his midfield with the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and further strengthened his creative unit by poaching Noni Madueke from London rivals Chelsea.
The latest rumours around North London suggest Arteta isn’t quite done yet and is pondering a move for Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze. The Eagles will want a replacement if the England star leaves and Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard could be in their sights. In the defensive unit Arteta may need to make a move if his versatile defender Jakub Kiwior walks. The manager is keen to keep the Polish star but Kiwior has been reported to be considering a summer move as he wants to play more minutes, and that is something a heavily invested club like Arsenal cannot always guarantee.
Arteta needs to have any remaining gaps filled, preferably before the season starts. Even the cockiest of Arsenal fans must be casting a nervous glance over to Tottenham, where Spurs’ new manager Thomas Frank is settling in nicely. The Whites won the Europa League last year, one more trophy than the Gunners, and they rubbed salt into Arsenal’s wounds with that 1-0 victory in Hong Kong last week. The goal, scored by Pape Matar Sarr was tough to watch for Arsenal fans as the Spurs midfielder robbed Myles Lewis-Skelly on the half way line before driving the ball over David Raya from all of 45 yards. That is the kind of mess the Gunners simply can’t afford when the Premier League gets under way.
Villarreal continues to renew
In one of the biggest La Liga news stories of the summer Villarreal have sold their excellent left winger Alex Baena to Atletico Madrid for 42m Euros, a signing greeted enthusiastically by Los Rojiblancos fans but with some sadness in Castellon. The departure of Baena was a blow, but the Yellow Submarine can ill afford to turn down that type of money and they picked up another cool 30m Euros by selling forward Thierno Barry to Premier League side Everton.
Marcelino has taken a chunk out of those receipts, spending 35m Euros so far as he moulds a new team to take on the rigours of La Liga and Champions League football.
21 year old winger Alberto Moleiro has arrived from Las Palmas for 16m Euros. He made 138 appearances for Los Canarias scoring 12 goals and he is a regular with Spain U21s.
Uruguayan centre back Santiago Mourino has joined from Atletico Madrid for 10m Euros while Tajon Buchanan has arrived from Inter Milan, at a price of 9m Euros, to bolster the midfield. And now it seems Marcelino is interested in adding Arsenal’s midfield enforcer Thomas Partey to his engine room. The 32 year old would certainly strengthen the Yellow Submarine squad for sure, and with the influential Dani Parejo now 36, re-enforcements are needed. There is already plenty of quality in the Villarreal ranks with the likes of Juan Foyth, Jeremy Pino and Gerard Moreno all primed to make another big contribution this season. The 2025/26 La Liga fixture list has thrown up a nice start for the Yellow Submarine, with a game against Primera Division new boys Oviedo to kick off with, and another home date the week after when they host Girona. Marcelino’s boys will be ready and fired up to make a winning start.
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