It’s called the Emirates Cup, which makes it sound a lot more meaningful, but at the end of the day, it’s still a friendly when Olympique Lyonaiss visits Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. One time Arsenal captain Alexandre Lacazette now plies his trade for Lyon once again, but unfortunately, this won’t be a reunion or homecoming game.
Lacazette just finished competing for the host nation at the Paris Olympics, where team Frace fell to Spain in the Gold Medal Game.
Emirates Cup FYIs
Olympique Lyon at Arsenal FC
Kickoff (local time): Sun. Aug 11, 6pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Stream: Arsenal.com
Fun Fact: This could be a chance to see Arsenal Arsenal Academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles start against his former club.
Team News
He’ll now enjoy a little post tournament holiday. The same can be said for his teammates (for both club and country) Rayan Cherki and Johann Lepenant.
Shifting gears to Arsenal, we’re still waiting on the debut of summer splash signing Riccardo Calafiori.
It may happen here, but not from the opening kick. Elsewhere Jurrien Timber will sit out, for precautionary reasons, as he recovers from a foot injury.
Meanwhile defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain out of commission, due to knee injuries.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.