Arsenal's 2025-26 preseason continues against Premier League opposition as they face Newcastle United on Sunday, July 27 at the Singapore Festival of Football. The headlines surrounding both clubs feature players who aren't even present on this Asia tour, with Viktor Gyokeres' arrival at Arsenal still in the works, while Alexander Isak is being pursued by the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Al-Hilal.
Officially, Newcastle have pointed to a minor thigh injury to explain Isak's absence on the Asia tour, although he was left out of their pre-season friendly against Celtic, with manager Eddie Howe noting it was due to transfer speculation. The club are reportedly pursuing potential replacements for Isak in the form of Benjamin Sesko, while there are also rumours that Liverpool seek Antony Gordon in a bid to potentially replace Bayern-bound Luis Diaz.
On the transfer front, Arsenal confirmed their fifth signing of the summer with young centre-back Cristhian Mosquera coming in from Valencia, and may feature against Newcastle having joined his teammates on tour - especially with Gabriel and Jurrien Timber reportedly recovering from injury niggles. Mikel Arteta's new signings impressed in their recent 1-0 win over AC Milan, with Martín Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga drawing plenty of praise.
However, it was Arsenal's 15-year-old academy products, midfielder Max Downman and centre-back Marli Salmon, who also impressed with their cameos and were the main subject of Arteta's post-match press conference, with the mood surrounding the club fairly postive.
That's not particularly the case for Howe, as with Anthony Elanga their only signing of the summer, a UEFA Champions League campaign has left supporters feeling trepidation as opposed to excitement, especially with the likely departure of Isak. A 0-4 loss to Celtic in their opening pre-season game did not help matters. Newcastle face tough tasks in Asia - facing Arsenal and Liverpool, who have both spent big this summer.
Howe's side have been awkward opponents for Arteta's Arsenal over the last few seasons though, sparking a bit of a rivalry between the two sides that could explode in the Singapore heat.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's match.
How to watch:
The match will be available on Arsenal and Newcastle United's in-house website/app in the UK and Australia; Paramount + in the US; FanCode in India. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date: Sunday, July 27 at 12.30 p.m. BST (7.30 a.m. ET; 5 p.m. IST and 9.30 p.m. AEST)
Venue: National Stadium, Singapore
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