Arsenal & Chelsea live score and goal updates as Premier League giants clash in Beijing pre-season friendly
Yesterday, Arsene Wenger hopes Saturday’s showdown against Premier League champions Chelsea in Beijing will help gauge whether Arsenal will be able to hit the ground running when the new campaign kicks off next month.
Wenger accepts the fixture between the FA Cup winners and the Blues in the Bird’s Nest Stadium is “not really a friendly” given the history between the two sides, who met at Wembley only eight weeks ago.
However, following a gruelling tour to Australia and China – which also saw a match against Bayern Munich played out in the sweltering conditions of Shangai and the squad hit with a sickness bug – Wenger believes it should at least give an indication as to what will be left to fine tune on their return to London.
Arsenal will play two fixtures in the Emirates Cup next weekend before tackling Chelsea again in the FA Community Shield ahead of the season opener against Leicester on Friday August 11.
Watch below