Preview: Arsenal XI (H) – Pre-season Friendly

Darren Currie’s side will be looking to return to winning ways after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to League One side Peterborough United.

The Bees did take the lead though when Simeon Akinola opened the scoring on 24 minutes but Ivan Toney equalised from a free-kick to level the scores going into half-time.

Posh went on to clinch victory in the second half through goals from Siriki Dembele and a wonder-strike from Serhat Tasdemir.

A Look at the Opposition:

With the first team taking part in the International Champions Cup in America, an alternate Arsenal side will travel to The Hive London tonight.

The Bees will be going up against a Gunners side predominantly made up under-23 and under-18 players.

The first team finished fifth in the Premier League last season, one point behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur who clinched the final Champions League spot.

As for the under-23 side, they just missed out on the Premier League 2 title last season, finishing second, four points off champions Everton.

However, their under-18s tasted glory last campaign, winning the U-18 Premier League South.

Academy Manager: Per Mertesacker

Former Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker began his role as Academy manager in 2018 following his retirement from football.

The 34-year-old made over 200 appearances for the Gunners after joining in 2011 from Werder Bremen and helped them win the FA Cup three times.

Mertesacker also featured over 100 times for Germany and was part of the side that were crowned world champions in 2014.

As well as Arsenal and Werder Bremen, the former defender also played for Hannover 96.

Under-23 Head Coach: Steve Bould

Steve Bould took the reins of Arsenal’s under-23 side last month after seven years as the Gunners’ assistant manager and will take charge of the opposition tonight.

Before becoming Arsene Wenger’s number two in 2012, he took charge of the Academy in a spell which stemmed back to 2001. He guided the youngsters to consecutive Premier League titles and the 2009 Youth Cup.

As a player, Bould began his career at Stoke City before moving to Arsenal in 1988. He would then go on to win two First Division titles and One Premier League title. As for domestic competitions, he also won the FA Cup and two occasions and the League Cup, making 372 appearances for the club in the process. Whilst at the Gunners, he was also awarded two England caps. He left the club in 1999 for Sunderland.

Last Time Out:

The last time the Bees faced an Arsenal side was back in 2010 in a pre-season friendly with the Premier League outfit winning 4-0 at Underhill.

Andrey Arshavin struck first with only two minutes on the clock before Jay Simpson scored a brace to give the Gunners a three-goal advantage at the break.

Arsene Wenger’s side then rounded off the scoring with 15 minutes remaining through Samir Nasri.  

Connections:

Arsenal’s Head of Youth Scouting Steve Morrow was briefly sent out on loan to Barnet in 1992 in order to gain first team experience whilst at the Gunners.

Another member of Arsenal’s Academy coaching staff is former Bee Adam Birchall who is currently in charge of the club’s under-12 side. The 34-year-old initially joined Barnet on loan from Mansfield Town in 2006 before penning a permanent deal a year later. That spell extended to two years where he would go on to make over 100 appearances for the Bees before leaving for Dover Athletic in 2009.

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