Orlando City vs Arsenal
Exploria Stadium is the venue as Orlando City and Arsenal go head-to-head in their first-ever pre-season meeting.
Orlando City turned a narrow 1-0 halftime lead into a 1-1 draw away to Atlanta United last time out, making it three stalemates from five matches (W1, L1 – 90mins only). Low scoring has been a common theme during that five-game sequence, with four games featuring under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a cagey, keenly-contested battle. By contrast, three of Orlando’s last five home fixtures have seen 3+ goals and both teams scoring. Delivering action from the get-go, two of Orlando’s four previous home games have featured an opening goal within 25 minutes. However, 14 (78%) of Orlando’s last 18 home goals scored/conceded have come beyond halftime.
On the other hand, marquee summer signing Gabriel Jesus picked up where he left off against Nurnberg, inspiring Arsenal to a comfortable 2-0 victory over fellow Premier League rivals Everton in their opening US Tour fixture. Jesus notched up a second-half brace on his Arsenal debut as the ‘Gunners’ hauled back a 2-0 halftime deficit to beat Nurnberg 5-3 in the build-up to their US Tour. Mikel Arteta’s men have won all three pre-season fixtures by an aggregate score of 12-4, laying the foundation for an inspiring Premier League season. Having won their last four matches by multi-goal margins, Arsenal take the field in high spirits.