Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund: Preseason Friendly Preview

Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund meet at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in a friendly that looks anything but low-key. Premier League champions against one of Germany’s great disruptors, North London in midsummer, and a fanbase eager to glimpse what comes next after a World Cup-scarred summer.

Kick-off is set for 2pm ET on August 9 at the Emirates, with coverage on Arsenal.com and the club’s app for subscribers.

Arsenal short on stars, high on scrutiny

Mikel Arteta’s preseason has already taken on a slightly jagged edge. Arsenal opened with tidy wins over MK Dons and Girona, but a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis in Dublin checked any early-season swagger and underlined how incomplete this group still is.

The absentees tell the story. Arsenal remain without a core of players who went deep into the World Cup: Mikel Merino, David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka are all still missing after their exertions in the final and third-place playoff. That’s the spine of a title-winning side ripped straight out of the dressing room.

William Saliba’s back injury only adds to the sense of a patched‑up back line. Arteta will not risk him, leaving the Frenchman’s recovery as a quiet subplot to the summer.

There is at least one welcome sight. Martin Odegaard has returned to training following his World Cup campaign with Norway. Whether he starts or eases in from the bench, his presence alone changes the rhythm of Arsenal’s build-up and offers a first hint of how he’ll knit together another title charge.

With so many mainstays absent, Sunday becomes a stage for squad players and youngsters to impress. The result won’t define anything. The performances might.

Dortmund in transition, but still dangerous

Dortmund arrive with their own sense of change. They have spent preseason living out of suitcases, yet to play at home, and their results reflect a team still searching for its shape.

They have beaten Rot-Weiss Oberhausen and FC Tokyo, but those wins sit between defeats to Fortuna Dusseldorf and Cerezo Osaka. The pattern is uneven, the talent unmistakable.

Some of the most familiar faces have gone. Julian Brandt now wears the Ajax shirt, Karim Adeyemi has moved to Barcelona, and Niklas Sule has dropped several tiers to Tiefenbach in a move that underlines just how quickly a squad can turn over.

The American thread has shifted too. Forward Cole Campbell has departed for Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg, while 17-year-old winger Mathis Albert steps into the frame, part of a new generation Dortmund are never shy to trust.

Injuries have bitten at the back and in midfield. Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can are both sidelined, removing experience and leadership from the core of the team. Even so, the visitors are hardly short of options.

Serhou Guirassy, a proven finisher, has been heavily involved in preseason, as has Waldermar Anton. Felix Nmecha, attracting interest from Newcastle, continues to build minutes and momentum, his every touch watched closely by scouts and supporters alike.

A friendly with sharp edges

On paper, this is a preseason exhibition. In reality, it offers something more pointed.

Arsenal need a response after the Betis defeat, even if it comes from a makeshift XI. Arteta will want control, intensity, and some evidence that the squad players can carry his demands while the World Cup contingent rests.

Dortmund, stripped of several headline names, must show they can still punch with Europe’s elite. Their travelling side has enough quality to test Arsenal’s experimental lineup and enough youth to turn the afternoon into an audition.

The Emirates will not see the finished versions of either team on Sunday. It will see something just as revealing: who is ready to step into the gaps, and who can seize a moment that, on the preseason schedule, looks friendly in name only.