Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund: a major London test before the start of the season
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund meet at Emirates Stadium in London in the Emirates Cup, in a match that kicks off at 14:00 local time. Although it is a pre-season friendly, the context is far more serious than that of a typical summer test: Arsenal appear in front of their own supporters for the first time since winning the English championship, while Borussia Dortmund arrive in London after finishing second in the German championship and following an intensive pre-season programme that included a tour of Japan.
For Mikel Arteta's team, this is an opportunity to improve the impression in front of the home crowd after a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis in Dublin. Before that, Arsenal opened their preparations with a 4-1 victory against Girona. Dortmund have already completed four confirmed pre-season matches: they beat Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 3-1, lost 2-1 to Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1-0 to Cerezo Osaka, and then finished their Japanese tour with a 1-0 victory against FC Tokyo.
The Emirates Cup also carries additional significance for the hosts. Arsenal won their ninth title in the competition last year, and a victory against Dortmund would bring them a landmark tenth. The result may therefore have no consequences for the league table, but Arteta is unlikely to treat the match as an ordinary 90 minutes for distributing playing time.
Tickets for this match have been in demand among supporters, especially because it is Arsenal's first appearance at Emirates Stadium since winning the championship.
Arsenal enter the new season as English champions
Arsenal finished the 2025/26 season in first place in the English championship with 85 points, seven more than second-placed Manchester City. It was Arsenal's first league title in 22 years and ended a run of three consecutive seasons in which the club had finished second.
Such a result also changes the standard by which the preparations will be judged. It is no longer enough to look like a team capable of challenging the best - Arsenal must now prepare a squad that will defend the title.
The first two public summer tests showed two different pictures. Against Girona, Arsenal won 4-1, with new winger Christos Tzolis also getting on the scoresheet. Against Real Betis, the result was 3-1 to the Spanish side. Arsenal conceded three goals, while their only goal was scored by Piero Hincapié from a set piece.
That defeat gives the match against Dortmund additional value. After Dublin, Arteta openly stressed the need for greater competitiveness. In friendly matches, coaches can change almost the entire team, but the reaction after a poor performance often says more than the result itself.
In London, several important Arsenal players are also expected to return to a more serious rhythm. Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres have been listed among the players who have moved closer to full training again, while Jurrien Timber has had a somewhat slower return.
For supporters, it will be particularly interesting to see how the summer changes in attack fit together. Tzolis showed directness very early, and against Betis his set piece preceded Arsenal's goal. Gyökeres is already a proven central threat in the penalty area, while Martinelli offers a completely different profile through acceleration and attacks into space.
Dortmund started their preparations earlier and have already gone through several different tests
Borussia Dortmund finished the previous Bundesliga season in second place. In 34 matches, they collected 73 points, with a record of 22 wins, seven draws and five defeats, scoring 70 goals and conceding 34. Only Bayern München finished ahead of them.
Niko Kovač therefore brings to London a team that is not preparing for the season from a position of complete redesign. The foundation exists, but the preparations so far have not been linear.
- Rot-Weiß Oberhausen - Borussia Dortmund 1-3
- Fortuna Düsseldorf - Borussia Dortmund 2-1
- Cerezo Osaka - Borussia Dortmund 1-0
- FC Tokyo - Borussia Dortmund 0-1
Dortmund have therefore recorded two wins and two defeats in their first four pre-season appearances. The transition between the matches in Osaka and Tokyo is particularly interesting. Against Cerezo Osaka, Kovač used a very young line-up and lost to an early goal, while against FC Tokyo more established first-team players were included in the team. Fábio Silva scored the only goal of that match.
Serhou Guirassy remains the central figure in Dortmund's attack. He had already scored in the first pre-season match against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Alongside him, Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha are among the players worth watching in midfield, particularly against Arsenal's ability to press space quickly after losing the ball.
Dortmund, however, did not enter pre-season fully healthy. Captain Emre Can is recovering after a cruciate ligament injury, while Nico Schlotterbeck is undergoing rehabilitation after a ligament injury to his left ankle. Carney Chukwuemeka had knee problems after the match against FC Tokyo and his appearance in London is uncertain.
Precisely because of those absences, the Emirates represents a useful test of Dortmund's depth. Against the English champions, having a quality starting eleven is not enough. Kovač will be able to see how the team reacts when it has to defend larger spaces, play out of pressure and at the same time retain an attacking threat.
Where the match can be decided
Because this is a pre-season match, the starting line-ups and the number of substitutions can significantly change the rhythm during the game. Nevertheless, several duels have clear sporting value.
The first is Arsenal's left side. Tzolis joined the club with a reputation as a player who provides goals and assists, and already during the first few weeks he has shown that he can attack directly towards the penalty area. If he receives significant playing time, his duel with Dortmund's right side will be one of the most interesting individual tests.
The second is the space in front of Dortmund's defence. Without Can and Schlotterbeck, Kovač is missing two important figures for organising the defensive block. If Arsenal manage to quickly connect their midfielders with Gyökeres or Havertz, Dortmund's back line could be forced more often to defend while facing their own goal.
The third element is Guirassy. Arsenal cannot treat Dortmund's attack as a passive threat simply because the hosts will probably want more time on the ball. Guirassy's ability to hold up the ball, attack the penalty area and finish moves gives Kovač's team the possibility of changing the direction of the match with a single vertical combination.
It is also worth watching Bellingham and Nmecha when Dortmund play through Arsenal's initial pressure. If the visiting midfield manages to receive the ball facing Arsenal's goal, the London side may be forced to quickly drop their full-backs and midfielders. If Arsenal close down that first outlet, Dortmund could end up playing long balls towards the forwards.
Old European acquaintances back on the same pitch
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have not met for almost 12 years. Their most recent meeting ended in a 2-0 Arsenal victory in London in November 2014.
In total, they have played eight competitive matches against each other. Arsenal have four wins, Dortmund three, and one match ended without a winner. The last five results show well how evenly matched this rivalry once was:
- Arsenal - Borussia Dortmund 2-0, 2014.
- Borussia Dortmund - Arsenal 2-0, 2014.
- Borussia Dortmund - Arsenal 0-1, 2013.
- Arsenal - Borussia Dortmund 1-2, 2013.
- Arsenal - Borussia Dortmund 2-1, 2011.
Many of the players from those matches have long since left the clubs, and the coaching ideas have changed as well, but the fact that these two teams are meeting again gives the Emirates Cup a somewhat different character from the usual pre-season friendly.
For Dortmund, it is also one of the final major tests before the start of the competitive part of the season. After London, they still have a match against AS Roma, followed by a match against Bayern München. Arsenal also do not have much time for corrections before their first competitive test.
Places in the stands disappear quickly when two clubs of this profile meet during pre-season.
Emirates Stadium and the champions' return in front of the home crowd
Emirates Stadium has been Arsenal's home since 2006. For this match, the context of the stands is particularly important: it is the first home match after a season in which Arsenal won the championship.
For the 2026/27 season, the club has also announced the introduction of licensed standing areas in the lower section of the Clock End, as part of a broader project intended to further improve the atmosphere at home matches. The Emirates has already become significantly louder in important matches in recent seasons, and the team's return as reigning champions gives this Sunday fixture additional emotional value.
Dortmund supporters also come from one of Europe's best-known fan cultures. In pre-season matches, the allocation of away places can be different from competitive fixtures, but the combination of a home celebration and travelling yellow-and-black support should create an interesting backdrop.
How to get to the stadium and when to head towards the entrances
Emirates Stadium is located in north London, between the areas of Holloway, Highbury and Finsbury Park. For visitors who do not know the city, public transport is a more practical choice than travelling by car.
The transport network around the stadium is designed precisely for large flows of spectators. Arsenal, Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park are the main stations used for travelling to matches, while special movement rules and passenger controls may apply at surrounding stations for certain fixtures.
- Arsenal Underground station is on the Piccadilly line and is one of the closest options to the stadium.
- Highbury & Islington is connected to the Victoria line and Overground railway lines.
- Finsbury Park has several rail and Underground connections and is a useful alternative for arrivals and departures.
- Travelling by car is not recommended because of the special parking regime and traffic restrictions in residential streets around the stadium.
- Visitors should allow additional time for security checks and crowds immediately before kick-off.
For men's matches, Arsenal normally opens the Upper and Lower Tier two hours before kick-off, while the Club and Box Level open two and a half hours earlier. For a 14:00 kick-off, according to the standard schedule, that would mean entry from approximately 12:00 for the main stands and from 11:30 for the Club and Box Level. The club reserves the right to change those times for operational reasons.
The bag rule is also important: only bags smaller than A4 size are permitted. The stadium operates cashlessly, so payments in bars, kiosks, restaurants and other retail outlets are made by card.
Parking in surrounding streets is particularly restricted on event days. Arsenal explicitly recommends that supporters do not arrive by car, because the surrounding area has an Event Day Parking Scheme and a large number of spaces reserved for local residents. Special options exist for visitors with appropriate accessibility needs, but such spaces must be arranged in advance.
What is worth watching from the first whistle
The most important question for Arsenal is not whether they will have more of the ball, but how effectively they will turn possession into chances. The defeat to Betis showed how quickly a pre-season match can move in the wrong direction if the defensive distances are poor and if the opponent is given time to shoot.
Dortmund's focus will be different. Kovač needs to find a balance between giving minutes to players returning after international commitments and building a team ready for the competitive rhythm. Because of the injuries to Can and Schlotterbeck, communication in midfield and the back line is particularly important.
For spectators at the stadium, several details can be a good indicator of the teams' real form:
- how high Arsenal press Dortmund's first pass out of defence
- how often Dortmund manage to find Guirassy before Arsenal are set defensively
- how Tzolis attacks space from the left side of Arsenal's attack
- how confidently Dortmund's defence reacts without Schlotterbeck
- how much the rhythm changes after a large number of substitutions in the second half
The friendly status of the match means that the coaches will not risk players' health for the result, but opponents like these are precisely useful for revealing problems that a weaker pre-season opponent might not punish.
It is worth securing tickets in time, because the match simultaneously brings the English champions back to the Emirates, a rare Dortmund visit to London and one of the final serious tests for both teams before the start of their competitive obligations.
Sources:
- Borussia Dortmund - date and venue of the match, pre-season schedule, previous head-to-head meetings and information about the squad and injuries
- PremierLeague.com - final standings and Arsenal's title in the 2025/26 season
- Bundesliga.com - final table of the 2025/26 season and Borussia Dortmund statistics
- talkSPORT - current form of Arsenal and Dortmund, pre-season results and Arsenal information about returning players
- Arsenal Help Centre - standard gate opening times, bag rules, cashless payments and parking information
- Transport for London - recommended rail and Underground stations for travelling to Emirates Stadium
- 11v11 and DFB Data Center - history and results of matches between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund
- Welt - result of the FC Tokyo - Borussia Dortmund match and information about Carney Chukwuemeka's problems after the game