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Premier League football is just over a month away from returning to our screens and sides from England’s top-flight are preparing for the new campaign, as they jet off around the world.
Arsenal took to the skies last night to head to Sydney, where they’ll play their first of four pre-season fixtures in Australia and China on Thursday, selecting a 25-man squad that was full of stars, players with a point to prove and youngsters ready to make an impact.
There’s notable absences from the squad with the likes of Rob Holding, Alexis Sanchez, Shkodran Mustafi and Hector Bellerin earning extended breaks following their involvement in international competitions this summer and that means there’s plenty of places up for grabs.
As usual for a pre-season challenge, Arsene Wenger will rotate his options and try out new things- so we’ve selected an experimental XI that could help the Gunners boast a competitive squad next season.
GK: Emiliano Martinez
Whilst David Ospina made the squad for Arsenal’s pre-season tour, the Colombian stopper continues to be heavily linked with an exit and the Gunners may have Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as their second-choice stopper behind Petr Cech next season.
Arsenal have rotated their ranks between the sticks in recent years, with the Gunners likely to select their second-choice stopper for the Europa League and cup campaigns next season, so experience for Martinez is valuable ahead of those challenges.
