Arsenal will be looking to end its U.S. tour on a high when it takes on Real Madrid in Landover, Maryland, on Tuesday night. The Gunners have won each of their three games in the U.S., with a 2-1 win against Bayern Munich sandwiched between 3-0 wins against Colorado Rapids and Fiorentina.
The results have provided a much-needed distraction from events off the field, where manager Unai Emery has so far struggled to land any major signings and there has been growing unrest from fans against club owner Stan Kroenke.
With recruitment proving difficult for Arsenal—Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli is so far the club's only signing of the summer—Emery has given young players a chance to impress during the U.S tour and his faith has been repaid.
Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka, aged 19 and 17 respectively, have both scored once on tour, while 20-year-old Eddie Nketiah already has already found the net three times.
If Arsenal has patiently awaited its chance to do business, Real Madrid embarked on a spending spree with Zinedine Zidane eager to reshape his team after a disappointing season.
The Spanish giants have spent over $340 million so far this summer. Eden Hazard joined from Chelsea and Luka Jovic from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, while Ferland Mendy joined from Olympique Lyon and Eder Militao and Rodrygo arrived from Porto and Santos respectively.
With their arrivals almost completed, the 13-time European Cup winners are now looking to get some players off their books. Midfielder Dani Ceballos could join Arsenal on loan for the season, while Gareth Bale has been told in no uncertain terms he can find himself a new club.
On Sunday, Zidane said he hoped the Welshman's departure would be "imminent". Bale was left out of Real Madrid's first preseason match in the U.S.—a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich—with Zidane suggesting a breakthrough could be made as early as this week.
The forward and has another three years left on his $18.7 million-a-year contract and he has refused to take a pay cut so far, which has severely limited Real Madrid's chances of offloading him.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday night.
When and where is the game?
Real Madrid takes on Arsenal at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 23.
TV coverage
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Live stream
Live stream will be available via ESPN digital platforms as well as via WatchESPN.
Team news
So far this summer Emery's faith in young players has paid dividends, with 20-year-old Eddie Nketiah,19-year-old Joe Willock and 17-year-old Bukayo Saka all getting on the scoresheet.
Against Real Madrid, however, Emery is expected to field a more experienced side, with Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coming into the starting XI.
Real Madrid was almost at full strength in its defeat against Bayern Munich with the summer signings making their debut and Zidane isn't expected to make wholesale changes to his team.
While Arsenal concludes its U.S. tour on Tuesday, Real Madrid takes on Atletico Madrid on Friday before flying back to Europe to continue its preseason.
Odds
According to Oddsportal Real Madrid is a 1/1 favorite to win, while Arsenal is at 113/50 and the draw is at 289/100.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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