Arsenal’s first match of pre-season has ended in a defeat so let’s take a look at how they lined up against Hibs and the key moments from the game.
Arsenal: Okonkwo, Cedric, Clarke, Mari, Kolasinac, Nelson, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Willian, Nketiah, Aubameyang
Subs: Hein, Rekik, Hutchinson, Pepe, Partey, Balogun, Smith Rowe, Lacazette, Bellerin, Henry-Francis
Hibs: Macey, McGinn, Hanlon, Porteous, Stevenson, Newell, Gogic, Boyle, Allan, Bradley, Nisbet
Subs: Dabrowski, Brydon, Campbell, Hallberg, Magennins, Wright, Mackay
Hibs vs Arsenal – Key events
After 21 minutes, Arsenal were trailing 1-0, thanks to a bad back-pass and a mistake from Okonkwo. Eddie Nketiah missed a glorious chance in the opening few minutes.
https://twitter.com/aviv_lavi/status/1414999646980743168
Stephen Bradley then hit the Arsenal post after 39 minutes.
HALF -TIME
Pepe, Partey, Lacazette, Balogun, Emile Smith Rowe, Omar Rekik and Karl Hein come on to replace Nketiah, Aubameyang, Willian, Nelson, Clarke, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Okonkwo
50′ Pepe freekick tipped onto the bar
62′ Hector Bellerin on, Cedric off
63′ Thomas Partey nearly breaks the frame of the goal with a freekick but the ball bounces away to safety
64′ Emile Smith Rowe goes close with some great feet but is denied by the Hibs keeper
69′ Hibs make it 2-0
73′ Arsenal penalty for a foul on Pepe
73′ Pepe’s penalty is saved
PEPE MISSES THE PENALTY pic.twitter.com/rXzD51Ru3f
— , (@notdubs1) July 13, 2021
75′ Jack Henry-Francis (17) on to replace Elneny
80′ Omari Hutchinson replaces Kolasinac
82′ Arsenal score! Emile Smith Rowe turns in Hector Bellerin’s cross to the back post
https://twitter.com/MusaAyuak/status/1415018717210099720
89′ Omari Hutchinson wins a freekick on the edge of the Hibs box, but Pepe’s short free-kick is cleared.
FULL TIME Hibs 2 Arsenal 1
Pre-match Arsenal predicted lineup
Arsenal kick off pre-season with a friendly against Hibernian FC on Tuesday, let’s look at our predicted team for the clash.
After returning to training this week from their summer holiday, the Arsenal squad are preparing for their Edinburgh training camp and a couple of fixtures in Scotland against Hibs and Rangers.
For unexplained reasons likely related to quarantines and isolation periods, not every available player has returned to training with Arsenal just yet.
It’s possible they’ll feature in the Hibs friendly anyway, but for now, we’re going to assume the Arsenal side will largely be made up of the players who have been in training already over the last week. Here’s our predicted Arsenal lineup for that match.
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno is on holiday and Mat Ryan has left, so Runar Alex Runarsson is the most senior goalkeeper and the most likely to start this match.
Arthur Okonkwo has a fresh new contract and has been promoted to the first team, so he’ll likely get some minutes too. So far there’s been no sign of Dejan Iliev in training photos, nor Karl Hein, but they’re both possibilities for a squad spot.
Defence
The only senior defenders we’ve seen in training so far are Sead Kolasinac, Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers, and Cedric Soares, so that’s probably the back four that will start against Hibs.
Left-back Nuno Tavares has joined in the last couple of days, so he’ll likely get his debut from the bench. Centre-backs Harry Clarke and Omar Rekik look to be stepping up from the u23s for a pre-season chance as well.
There’s no sign of Rob Holding yet, but he should be involved soon. William Saliba is closing in on a loan move, and Gabriel Magalhaes is injured.
Midfield
Again, our team prediction will be based on the midfielders we’ve actually seen in training so far, so Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Granit Xhaka is away on holiday, as is Lucas Torreira. Matteo Guendouzi has left the club, and there’s no sign of Joe Willock or Mohamed Elneny just yet. Ideally, those two, Miguel Azeez and a few other youngsters will join the squad.
Forwards
With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on international duty, this is another area where numbers are limited. There’s also no sign of Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, though you’d expect them all in training very soon.
For the time being, that leaves Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pepe to start on the wings, with either Eddie Nketiah or Folarin Balogun up front. The backup wing spots will have to be filled by u23s, with Kido Taylor-Hart close to a new deal.
Nketiah and Balogun will likely both get chances in the coming weeks, but there’s an element of keeping Nketiah in the shop window that has me predicting he’ll start.