Arsenal vs Como
Believe it or not, Arsenal have largely struggled in Club Friendly matches this preseason. After a 4-1 win against Girona, the Gunners lost to Real Betis (3-1) and Borussia Dortmund (3-2). However, the defending Premier League champions can return to winning ways when they host Como at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
That is because this might be the first time head coach Mikel Arteta will have most of his key players back in the mix after their World Cup hiatus. To Arteta’s credit, it seems he’s not panicking at all during their losing streak, as he knows he has so much depth in this squad.
Meanwhile, Como are fresh from an incredible 2025-26 campaign under head coach Cesc Fabregas, who led them to a fourth-place finish in Serie A and their first-ever Champions League qualification. I Lariani will likely use this match as a measuring stick to gauge their overall progress.
The SBOTOP Club Friendly 2026 odds favour the hosts this midweek, and for sure we’ll get our usual dose of Club Friendly 2026 highlights.
Talking points
Big names returning for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has missed several key players, especially in midfield and defence, which is why Arsenal struggled to get results this summer. However, preseason is mainly about building fitness and experimenting with different lineups, and Arteta will get his first real chance to have a full squad against Como this Wednesday.
Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, and Martin Odegaard are set to return for the reigning Premier League champions. We also might see Bruno Guimaraes suit up for the Gunners for the first time after his €87.5 million arrival from Newcastle United.
William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are still recovering from their injuries and are set to miss the start of the new season, which is a big blow to their vaunted backline. On the other hand, new signing Christos Tzolis is looking like a real gem on the left wing, making him a solid replacement for Leandro Trossard, who was sold to Besiktas this offseason. Youngsters Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri are showing signs of promise for Arsenal.
Arsenal will use the Como match to ramp up ahead of their Community Shield contest against Manchester City on Sunday in Cardiff, giving them a chance to win another trophy before the 2026-27 campaign begins.
Como plan to integrate marquee signing
Como finished in the Top 4 of the Serie A standings last season, boasting the league’s best defence, having conceded only 29 goals in 38 matchdays. On the other hand, they scored 65 goals en route to recording a +36 goal difference.
With their first Champions League foray on the horizon, head coach Cesc Fabregas knows that I Lariani must bolster their depth to keep up, and they did just that. They signed Alvaro Morata to a permanent deal to pry him away from AC Milan. Como also brought in Luis Milla, Kaiki, Mattia Liberali, Andres Cuenca, Yan Couto, and Trevoh Chalobah.
Among them, Chalobah could make the biggest difference for Como, and his €30 million transfer to Lombardy has had Chelsea fans scratching their heads. The 27-year-old has just entered his prime and adds athleticism, versatility, and experience to Como’s squad, having won the Club World Cup twice, the FA Cup, the Conference League, and the UEFA Super Cup.
Besides the aforementioned, Como also have Anastasios Douvikas, Nico Paz, Lucas Da Cunha, Martin Baturina, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Jesus Rodriguez, and Maxence Caqueret, who can pick up where they left off last term.
History
Wednesday marks the first-ever competitive meeting between Arsenal and Como. Arsenal’s last match against an Italian side was a 3-1 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League during the league phase last January. Gabriel Jesus (brace) and Viktor Gyokeres were on the scoresheet for the Gunners, and Petar Sucic scored once for the Nerazzurri. As for Como, their last match against an English opponent was a 1-0 loss to Gillingham – a Football League Two team – in a friendly in July 2023, when they were not yet promoted to Serie A.
As noted, Como are in slightly better recent form than Arsenal this preseason. I Lariani are undefeated in their games against Paris FC (2-2) and Famalicao (3-2), while Arsenal won against Girona, before losing to Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund.
Last season, Arsenal won their first Premier League title in 22 years, while Como have yet to win a Serie A title, with last season their best finish in the Italian top-flight.
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