Arsenal Set to Accelerate Against Como in Preseason Clash

Arsenal step up through the gears on Wednesday, and they do it against a familiar face.

With so many of Mikel Arteta’s core players only just back from World Cup duty, preseason has felt more like an extended trial than a true tune‑up. The 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday underlined that sense of incompleteness, exposing gaps in midfield and defense that would never survive a Premier League weekend.

That is about to change.

Arsenal ready to accelerate

The visit of Como to the Emirates comes at a pivotal point in Arsenal’s summer. The Community Shield against Manchester City looms in Cardiff on Sunday, and Arteta needs to move quickly from experimentation to something resembling a starting XI.

Help is finally walking back through the door.

• Declan Rice
• Noni Madueke
• Eberechi Eze
• Bukayo Saka
• Mikel Merino
• David Raya
• Martin Zubimendi

are all due back in training this week. Captain Martin Odegaard has only just returned to the fold for the reigning Premier League champions, and his presence alone sharpens the edge of everything Arsenal do with the ball.

The headline, though, is clear: Bruno Guimaraes. A $101 million statement in the middle of the pitch. The Brazilian’s arrival changes the tone of Arsenal’s summer. Even if he only features briefly against Como, his presence shifts the conversation from who is missing to what this team might soon become.

Arteta’s preseason has been bumpy. Defeats to Real Betis and Dortmund have highlighted a soft underbelly at the back, hardly helped by injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, both set to miss the start of the season. No manager wants to concede cheap goals in July and August, but Arteta knows the context: this is a deep squad still waiting to be reassembled.

There have been bright sparks. New signing Christos Tzolis has caught the eye on the left wing, direct and fearless, the sort of wide player who forces defenders to turn and run towards their own goal. Guimaraes’ arrival in midfield adds authority and control, a reminder that Arsenal are not standing still after their title win.

This is the week they have to look like it.

Fabregas returns with a rising Como

On the other side of the technical area stands a man who knows the Emirates better than almost anyone in the away dugout ever will.

Cesc Fabregas has turned his first full managerial role into a statement of his own. Como’s 2025-26 campaign was nothing short of remarkable: fourth place in Serie A and a first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League. For a club that has spent years rebuilding, that kind of leap is seismic.

Fabregas has not simply parked the bus and hoped. His side finished last season with the fewest goals conceded in Serie A, but they are no dour, low-block outfit. They defend with structure, then spring forward with purpose.

He has been building this for years, piece by piece. Now they arrive in London as more than a sentimental subplot. They are one of Italy’s most awkward new opponents.

Trevoh Chalobah has just joined from Chelsea, adding Premier League experience and athleticism to that already stingy back line. Up front, Alvaro Morata leads the line, a familiar name with a point to prove in every big stadium he visits. Nico Paz offers craft and threat in attack, one of the key creative sparks in Fabregas’ system.

This is not a soft preseason booking. It is a test of Arsenal’s sharpness against a side that thrives on denying space and punishing loose play.

Stakes for Arsenal’s week

The setting is straightforward enough: a Wednesday 2:30pm ET kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, streamed on Arsenal’s YouTube channel. The significance runs deeper.

For Arteta, this is about rhythm and relationships. Can Guimaraes start to knit together a makeshift midfield? How quickly can returning internationals like Saka, Rice and Eze find their timing? Can Tzolis keep forcing his way into the conversation for serious minutes once the season starts?

Defensively, the questions are harsher. With Saliba and Timber out, Arsenal’s back line has looked vulnerable under pressure. Como, drilled and disciplined, will not need many invitations to expose any lingering uncertainty.

On the opposite bench, Fabregas gets a perfect measuring stick. His team has already proved it can live with Serie A’s elite. Now he brings them to a title-winning Premier League ground, against the club where he became a star, to see just how far this project has come.

Preseason or not, this has an edge. Arsenal need to look like champions preparing for another run. Como want to look like a Champions League side ready to belong on nights just like this.

Prediction? Expect Arsenal to lean on their returning quality and home advantage, but not to stroll. Como’s organization and defensive record last season suggest they will make Arsenal work for every opening.

If the Gunners are serious about setting the tone for another title defense, this is where they have to start showing it.