Arsenal vs Real Betis: Pre-season Friendly Preview and Lineups

Arsenal aim to keep their perfect pre-season run alive when they take on Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday evening. The Gunners began their summer fixtures impressively, beating Girona 4-1, while Betis approach this fixture having played five pre-season games with four wins.

Mikel Arteta's squad has looked sharp, with new signing Christos Tzolis scoring his first unofficial goal, and teenager Max Dowman grabbing attention with his performances. Arsenal's preparation started with a 3-0 win over MK Dons behind closed doors before the convincing victory against Girona.

At Estadio Montilivi, 16-year-old Dowman contributed both a goal and an assist. Alongside him, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz found the net, with Tzolis also making an impact. This match marks Arsenal's third game at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, a venue where they've had positive results previously.

Real Betis' Pre-season Momentum

Manuel Pellegrini's men have only lost once in six friendly matches, a narrow defeat to Granada. Wins against Lotte, Recreativo de Huelva, Lyon, and Almeria highlight their solid form. Their latest success came with a late winner by Ivan Corralejo against Almeria.

Betis secured fifth place in La Liga last season, earning a spot in the Champions League for just the second time ever. They face tough tests ahead, including matches against Arsenal, Bournemouth, and Inter Milan, before kicking off the new season against Real Sociedad.

This friendly will be the first meeting between the clubs, though a Champions League group stage draw later this month might set up future clashes.

Recent Friendly Results

• Arsenal: Win, Win
• Real Betis: Win, Win, Loss, Win, Win

Team News

After World Cup duties, players like Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, and Piero Hincapie had limited minutes against Girona. None of these stars are expected back for this game. Jurrien Timber missed the last match due to groin rehabilitation. Ben White returned from a long-term knee injury and played 61 minutes, but youngster Marli Salmon may get a chance if Arteta wants to be cautious.

Defensive concerns linger for Betis as Diego Llorente left their recent game with fatigue but no major injury is reported. The team misses Giovani Lo Celso, Aitor Ruibal, Diego Conde, and Abde Ezzalzouli due to injuries. Former Real Madrid player Isco recently made his pre-season debut and could start, while ex-Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin may face his old club after a productive last season with Betis.

Expected Starting Lineups

• Arsenal: Kepa; Mosquera, Salmon, Hincapie, Calafiori; Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Havertz; Dowman, Jesus, Tzolis
• Real Betis: Gonzalez; Bellerin, Natan, Gomez, F. Garcia; Roca, Bernal; Antony, Isco, Fornals; Hernandez

Prediction

The youthful energy in Arsenal's attack suggests they will press hard, but Real Betis will offer strong resistance. Fatigue might affect Betis, given this is their sixth pre-season match. We think Arsenal will continue their unbeaten streak with a 3-1 win.