June 24, (THEWILL) – Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, will meet English Premier League runners-up, Arsenal, in a pre-season friendly on August 7 at the Emirates Stadium in London. The German club announced the fixture on Monday, setting the stage for an intriguing reunion of players and coaches.
The match will bring together childhood friends and former teammates, Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta, who now manage Leverkusen and Arsenal respectively. It will also see midfielder Granit Xhaka return to his former club, having moved to Leverkusen from Arsenal before the 2023-24 season. Conversely, Arsenal striker Kai Havertz will face his boyhood club, where he developed through the youth ranks before moving to Chelsea in 2020 and subsequently to Arsenal in 2023.
Leverkusen enter the friendly on the back of a historic season, having clinched their first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup under Alonso’s guidance. The team went unbeaten in domestic competitions and lost only once in 53 matches across all tournaments, in the Europa League final against Atalanta.
Arsenal, meanwhile, pushed Manchester City to the wire in the EPL, finishing just two points behind the eventual champions. The London club’s pre-season plans also include matches against Manchester United and Liverpool as part of a tour to the United States, whilst Leverkusen will remain in Europe for their preparations.
This friendly marks a rare meeting between the two sides, with their only previous competitive encounters occurring in the 2002 UEFA Champions League group stage. Arsenal emerged victorious in the second leg in London after a 1-1 draw in Germany.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
