Arsenal take on Lyon in the Dubai Super Cup on Thursday as they step up preparations for the second half of the Premier League season.
The Gunners boast a five point lead at the top of the table following 12 wins from their first 14 matches, while Europa League knockout round football has also been achieved. They now face Lyon in the first of three friendlies this month as they aim to maintain their high standards.
Les Gones have endured a poor start to the 2022/23 campaign following just six wins from their first 15 games, meaning they sit 20 points behind Ligue 1 leaders PSG. A positive performance against Arsenal could help to kick start their season.
When is Arsenal vs Lyon?
Arsenal vs Lyon will kick-off at 3:30pm (GMT) on Thursday, December 8 at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The last competitive meeting between these two sides came back in February 2001, when Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League group stage at Highbury.
However, the most recent meeting took place in July 2019, when the Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat in the Emirates Cup on home soil. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring for the hosts after 35 minutes, before a second half brace from Moussa Dembele turned the tie on its head.
Is Arsenal's squad depth good enough to cope without their World Cup players? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
How to watch
The match will not be televised but the action will be shown on Arsenal’s website and their official app.
Fans will need to subscribe here to watch the game, as well as all their pre-season friendlies, via Arsenal’s streaming service, if they are not already subscribers.
Match odds
Arsenal vs Lyon odds from Betfred
Arsenal - 13/10
Draw - 12/5
Lyon - 17/10
*odds subject to change
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Team news
Arsenal will be desperate to hit the ground running on their return to Premier League action against West Ham on Boxing Day, so Mikel Arteta will aim to use as many of his usual starting lineup as possible in order to maintain some form of momentum.
However, with plenty of players away at the World Cup, options will be at a minimum. Nonetheless, regular starters Gabriel Maghaeles, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard will be involved, while Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney, Mohamed Elneny, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah will aim to impress.
As for Lyon, they are also expected to be without a number of players as a result of World Cup commitments, but manager Laurent Blanc will hope to keep the main nucleus of his side intact for their clash with the Gunners.
One player, in particular, who will be hoping to impress is former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, who departed north London in the summer. Another former Gunner amongst the ranks is midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide, while Lyon also boast the likes of the highly-rated Houssem Aouar and former Manchester City and Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.
