Unai Emery is still in the process of feeling his new team out. Arsenal’s decision to have him replace the legendary Arsene Wenger was widely seen as a shrewd decision, and he has wasted little time in molding the team how he sees fit. On Saturday, he will be leading his new club against his former one, Paris Saint Germain, in Singapore.
Emery was able to achieve quite a bit with PSG, but much of that was due to the club lapping the Ligue 1 field with their lavish spending. He will face a tougher challenge at Arsenal.
The International Champions Cup brings some of the top clubs in Europe to cities around the world that normally don’t get to see top flight football. The match will take place at Singapore National Stadium in Singapore at 7:35 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 28, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.
International Champions Cup Betting at BookMaker.eu
Paris Saint Germain +300
Arsenal -135
Draw +275
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
Last Matches
Paris Saint Germain have spent the last week acclimatizing to Singapore in order to be ready for this match. PSG played Bayern Munich in Austria last Saturday, and the match did not go well for the French club. They broke open the scoring with a nifty goal from American Timothy Weah in the 31st minute and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. However, the defense collapsed in the second half, allowing Bayern to net three goals in the span of 18 minutes.
Since the match, PSG has been linked to Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng. Boateng has been celebrating France’s World Cup victory and is currently on extended leave, but rumor has it that he has already agreed to be moved back home. Nothing official has been announced yet, but a deal seems likely to happen at this point.
Arsenal looked good in their match against Atletico Madrid on Thursday. The club looked like the better side in the first half even though the opposition took a 1-0 lead into the break. Teenager Emile Smith Rowe was able to level shortly after halftime though, beating a couple defenders and Antonio Adan with a lovely ball that he curled into the net. The game ended tied at 1-1 in full time, sending it to penalties. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Atletico’s new signing Adan came up big by stopping three penalties to give Atletico a shootout victory.
Arsenal Player to Watch
Emery was very impressed with the play of Smith Rowe, and he is likely to get another starting assignment against PSG. Arsenal brought most of their first team to Singapore for this competition, so the fact that Smith Rowe made it into the starting lineup was pretty impressive. His play affirmed Emery’s belief too, as he played like he belonged on the field with the first team throughout. It’s unlikely that he cracks the starting eleven during the Premier League campaign, but he may feature in the team’s Europa League and FA Cup matches with performances like that.
Paris Saint Germain Player to Watch
Gianluigi Buffon is looking to prove that he still has something left in the tank at the age of 40. Buffon became a legend while a member of Juventus and the Italian national team, and he is widely seen as the best goalkeeper of the 21st Century. His play has dipped over the last few years, and he flirted with retirement during the offseason. However, the allure of joining a team like PSG was too much for him to turn down. He played pretty well against Bayern in his last match, only allowing one goal during his time on the pitch. His replacement let in two goals in quick succession, and he will enter the season as the No. 1 goalkeeper.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Arsenal is the right side in this match. The Gunners are looking to come together under Emery, and almost all of the team’s top players are in Singapore. Emery will want to build cohesion to get off to a strong start given the team’s opponents in their first two Premier League matches, and that will lead to him playing his starters for extended periods.
International Champions Cup Odds: Arsenal 3, Paris Saint Germain 0
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