Borussia Dortmund play their fifth match of the preseason campaign on Sunday as they lock horns with Arsenal in London for the 15th edition of the Emirates Cup.
The fixture marks Dortmund's first appearance in the one-off cup game and the first by a German team since RB Leipzig in 2017.
After some low-key friendlies so far, Dortmund face a team of real quality; a team that clinched the Premier League title last season. And while some of Arsenal's World Cup stars are still out on vacation, Mikel Arteta has enough quality options to call upon.
Here are 3 things to watch in the match:
3) Karetsas set for BVB debut
Konstantinos Karetsas is set for his highly anticipated Borussia Dortmund debut against Arsenal. The Greek international completed a much-publicized move from Belgian side Genk last week and resumed training soon after.
Head coach Niko Kovac has been looking to integrate the new signings into the fold and could give Karetsas a go here for his first slice of action with his new club. All eyes will be on the 18-year-old, who is touted to become Dortmund's key player in the season ahead.
2) Reunion of Swedish teammates
Just weeks after playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament for Sweden, international teammates Viktor Gyokeres and Daniel Svensson are set to reunite on the field. Both players are likely to start for their respective teams on Sunday too as Arsenal and Dortmund could play their best teams with the 2026-27 season just days away from starting.
Although the Swedes won't face-off in a direct player battle with Gyokeres likely to be Arsenal's focal point of attack and Svensson taking up his usual place on the left side of midfield as the left wing-back, we could still see the compatriots engaging in duels a few times during the match and offering an interesting spectacle for the Swedish viewers who had only recently saw them play together.
1) A true test of Dortmund's mettle
While a Champions League clash between these two would provide a more appropriate test of Dortmund's preparedness and squad strength, the upcoming fixture should still prove challenging enough for Niko Kovac and co. to gauge where they stand ahead of their season opener against Bayern Munich.
With the entire first-team squad at his disposal now, it will be interesting to see what approach the 54-year-old manager takes here against the reigning Premier League champions as the outcome could offer a valuable indication of the team's progress over the last few weeks in the preseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google