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Arsenal are set to begin their 2025/26 pre-season with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford next week, according to AFC Fixture News.
The Gunners will welcome the Hornets to the Sobha Realty Training Centre at 12pm on 19 July, just hours before the first team are set to fly out to Singapore for the first part of their tour of Asia.
Mikel Arteta will likely welcome the opportunity for a first test of pre-season to get a taste of the action before his side begin their serious preparations for the 2025/26 campaign.
Arsenal to play Watford in behind-closed-doors friendly
The Arsenal first team will play a behind closed doors, pre-season friendly at the Sobha Realty Training Centre against Watford on Saturday 19th July, KO: 12 noon.
— Arsenal Fixture News (@AFCFixtureNews) July 13, 2025
This will literally be played a few hours before the team fly out to Singapore for the start of the 2025 Asia Tour. pic.twitter.com/JwExIDzrK6
This game will see Arsenal continue their recent tradition of hosting friendly matches at their training centre to begin pre-season.
The Gunners defeated Leyton Orient 2-0 last year before they jetted off to the United States for their pre-season tour.
Due to the close proximity of their training grounds, Arsenal and Watford have often contested friendlies in recent years. Mikel Arteta's side were victorious 4-1 in a game prior to the 2021/22 season, but were held to a 1-1 draw in summer 2023. They also fell to a 4-2 defeat when they faced the Hornets in a mid-season friendly during the 2022/23 campaign.
Mikel Arteta has frequently used behind-closed-doors friendlies as an opportunity to field both a strong and weaker side, giving chances to players from the first team and academy. He is likely to do the same next week.
Games like these have been an ideal start to the Gunners' pre-season in recent years and it should be the same this time around. The friendly against Watford will be a good way for Arsenal to get their preparations up and running before they fly out to Singapore, where they will face AC Milan and Newcastle ahead of a trip to Hong Kong to play north London rivals Tottenham.