Arsenal kick off their participation in the Dubai Super Cup on Thursday, let’s take a look at the competition and how it works.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Olympique Lyonnais, and AC Milan will take part in a four-team tournament called the Dubai Super Cup as they prepare for the return of Premier League football over the World Cup break.

Each team will play two matches in a group format, with Arsenal playing against Lyon and Milan, and Liverpool doing the same. Arsenal won’t face Liverpool, and Lyon won’t face Milan.

All matches will be played at the Al Maktoum Stadium. Below is the fixture list.

Fixture list (times in GMT)

• Thursday, December 8th, 15:30: Arsenal vs Lyon
• Sunday, December 11th, 14:00: Liverpool vs Lyon
• Tuesday, December 13th, 14:00: Arsenal vs AC Milan
• Friday, December 16th, 15:30: Liverpool vs AC Milan

How is the group decided?

As usual, a win is worth three points. But a draw is worth two points, and there will be a penalty shootout after every match, regardless of the result. The winner will earn an extra point.

As a result, there are up to four points up for grabs in each game. The group winner will be the team with the most points.

There’s no official word on tiebreakers if the points are level, but you’d imagine they’ll use goal difference. It would be difficult to separate teams on head-to-head record, given not all of them will face each other.

How do I watch the Dubai Super Cup?

Tickets are still available for those in Dubai or the local area who wish to catch the action live – with details here.

For most of the rest of us, Arsenal will be streaming the game on the club website. They’re selling match passes here at £5.99 each or £9.99 for both games.

Some regions will not show the two games on Arsenal.com, as follows:

• Arsenal vs Lyon is unavailable in the Middle East and North Africa region, France, Monaco, and Andorra
• Arsenal vs AC Milan is unavailable in the Middle East and North Africa region, and Italy

As for the Liverpool games, they’re showing them on LFCTV GO, which is a subscription service, though they do have a month-long free trial. Details here.

Arsenal squad for the Dubai Super Cup

Senior players: Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny, Marquinhos, Karl Hein, and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Academy call-ups: Hubert Graczyk, James Hillson, Taylor Foran, Zane Monlouis, Lino Sousa, Reuell Walters, Catalin Cirjan, Matt Smith, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Charles Sagoe Jr, Amario Cozier-Duberry, and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.

It’s possible other Arsenal players will join the squad after their World Cup participation ends.