It won’t be too long until Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side are back at the club’s training base ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. A huge season for the Gunners, what the club do ahead of the big kick-off could prove key to what happens come May.
At present, Arsenal have three pre-season games in the calendar as they embark on a tour of Singapore and Hong Kong in July. AC Milan are up first for Arsenal at the National Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday, July 23, before they then face Newcastle United at the same venue four days later.
The Gunners’ final match in Asia is a North London Derby showdown against Tottenham at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Thursday, July 31. The game against their fierce rivals will allow Arteta to get an early glimpse of Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side.
Frank was confirmed as Ange Postecoglou’s successor on Thursday evening, penning a three-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the summer of 2028. Following his remarkable work at Brentford, it was always going to be a matter of time before the 51-year-old made the step up and took on a bigger role.
Frank’s Brentford team proved to be a tricky opponent for Arsenal, most notably winning 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on their Premier League debut back in August 2021. Arteta’s record may stand at six wins, two draws and one defeat in his meetings with the Dane but four of those victories were only by a single goal.
Back in April, the sides did play out a 1-1 draw after Yoane Wissa’s 74th-minute strike cancelled out Thomas Partey’s goal. As things stand right now, the North London Derby in Hong Kong will be Frank’s first game as Tottenham head coach.
However, Spurs do have a couple of free weekends in the calendar prior to their Far East tour and another friendly or two could possibly be added before the derby clash. The game will certainly give Arteta an early indication of what his Arsenal team will be coming up against during the 2025/26 season.
Next campaign’s fixtures are due to be released at 9am on Wednesday, June 18, with fans of both clubs immediately going to scan down the fixtures and find out when the first North London Derby of the season is. Arteta did have the upper hand over Postecoglou, Frank’s predecessor, after winning three and drawing one of their four meetings over the past two campaigns.
The Spaniard will be looking to keep it that way as he embarks on yet another rivalry following more changes in the Tottenham managerial hotseat. Arteta already knows what he’s going to face coming up against a Frank team but this time there will be a bit of extra needle given he is now in charge of their local rivals.
In what is an important summer for Arsenal, Arteta will be targeting a North London Derby win in Hong Kong and hoping it is a sign of things to come against Frank in 2025/26 and beyond.
