2013 Emirates Cup update

Arsenal are reportedly close to announcing details of this summer’s Emirates Cup. The annual pre-season tournament is set to return this summer having been cancelled last year due to the Olympics being held in London.

Details of the participating teams have yet to be announced, but rumours online are suggesting that the teams expected to be involved are Galatasaray, Napoli and FC Porto.

A lot of fans are quite upset about Galatasaray being invited to take part in it due to the fighting that occurred when the two teams met in the UEFA Cup Final back in 2000. Something like that will never be forgotten by the fans and also what they did to the Leeds fans was unforgivable, stabbing two of their fans to death in the same season.

Of course, Galatasaray have a few familiar faces in their side. The most familiar to Arsenal fans will be Emmanuel Eboue, who played for Arsenal from 2005-2011. Didier Drogba is a face Arsenal fans would rather forget if possible, the Ivorian haunted the Gunners in his Chelsea days. Wesley Sneijder, Johan Elmander and Albert Riera are all names fans in England will be familiar with too.

Porto are familiar with Arsenal having met in European competition in recent years on a number of occasions, whereas Napoli not so much.

We will have to wait for official confirmation from the club, but it is expected to be on the weekend of August 3rd/4th and those teams are expected to be Arsenal’s guests this summer.

The current holders of the Emirates Cup are 2011 winners the New York Red Bulls.

The Emirates Cup is expected to return this summer.