Arsenal vs Como: Guimaraes Set for First Appearance
Pre-season at the Emirates usually starts with a murmur. On Wednesday night, it comes with an edge. Two defeats on the spin have sharpened the mood, and Arsenal’s final home friendly of the summer suddenly feels like more than a fitness exercise.
Mikel Arteta’s side host Como at 7.30pm BST, a game streamed free on the club’s YouTube channel in the UK, USA, India and Australia. It is a soft launch in name only. With Manchester City looming in the Community Shield and a Premier League title defence around the corner, supporters want signs that the engine is beginning to purr.
Response required after double setback
Arsenal’s last two outings have left a mark. A 3-1 defeat to Real Betis, followed by a 3-2 reverse against Borussia Dortmund, exposed familiar issues: loose defending, lapses in concentration, and a side still searching for rhythm.
Pre-season results rarely define a campaign, but they do shape a mood. Consecutive losses, especially when goals are shipped so easily, ask questions of a group that expects to set the pace again in England. The visit of Como offers a chance to steady the tone, tighten up at the back and restore a little authority on home turf.
Supporters will not get carried away by the scoreline. They will, however, be watching closely for structure, intensity and a cleaner defensive performance.
Guimaraes in red and white at last
The headline attraction is clear. Bruno Guimaraes, Arsenal’s £75million signing from Newcastle, is expected to feature for the first time since sealing his move.
The Brazil international has already had a taste of his new surroundings. He was introduced to the Emirates crowd before the Dortmund game, greeted like a marquee signing at a club that believes it is one elite piece away from taking the final step.
Arteta has been unequivocal about the midfielder’s early impact, praising the energy, hunger and ambition Guimaraes has brought to the training ground. Those are big words for a player yet to kick a ball in red and white, and they feed directly into the anticipation around his first minutes.
He may not start, with staff carefully managing workloads after summer tournaments and transfers, but even a brief cameo will be enough to ignite the evening. This is the first real glimpse of how he might reshape an already formidable midfield.
A stretched squad and chances for others
Arteta’s options remain thin in key areas. Several senior players are still unavailable or only partially integrated. Captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino have yet to fully join up with the squad, leaving the manager to juggle minutes and combinations in the centre of the pitch.
At the back, Jurrien Timber continues his recovery from a groin issue, while William Saliba is a longer-term absentee with a back injury. Those absences have forced Arsenal into makeshift solutions across pre-season and have contributed to the lack of defensive stability.
There have been positives. Christos Tzolis impressed against Dortmund and is expected to feature again, another chance for him to strengthen his case as a useful attacking option when the competitive games arrive. These are the nights when fringe players and new faces can alter the internal hierarchy with a sharp performance.
Fabregas’ Como bring their own ambition
This is not a ceremonial run-out for the visitors. Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, arrive with momentum and a point to prove after finishing fourth in Serie A last season to secure Champions League football.
They, too, are missing some returning players but have made a statement of intent in the market by signing former Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah on a five-year deal. Fabregas has already framed that move as a marker of the club’s ambition, a sign that Como intend to belong on bigger stages.
Facing his former club at the Emirates adds another layer to the evening. Fabregas knows the stadium, the expectations and the scrutiny that comes with an Arsenal shirt. His side will not simply make up the numbers.
Final tune-up before the real thing
For Arsenal, this is the last home rehearsal before the curtain lifts. Manchester City await in the Community Shield on 16 August, a fixture that will offer a far sterner measure of where Arteta’s team stand. Soon after, Coventry City arrive in north London as Arsenal begin the defence of their Premier League crown.
That context raises the stakes for what might otherwise be a gentle friendly. Supporters will look for a sharper press, cleaner passing, more authority in both boxes and, above all, improved defensive solidity.
They will also look to Guimaraes, the new centrepiece, stepping into the Emirates pitch not as a presentation but as a presence.
One more night to experiment. One more chance to convince. Then the questions become real.
