The new Premier League season kicks off in just under a month, and preparations are in full swing as players and managers gear up for another jam-packed campaign.
New signings, new managers, and a host of exciting preseason matchups are on the horizon, with some clubs playing domestic friendlies while others have travelled overseas.
Missed the late-night action from your Premier League club this weekend?
ESPN has you covered with all the highlights from the preseason friendlies so far.
Tzolis shines with assist on Arsenal debut
The Premier League champions begun season preparations with a 3-0 win against MK Dons behind closed doors at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Saturday. Mikel Arteta handed starts to fringe players who shone as well as new summer signing Christos Tzolis who impressed on his Arsenal debut.
Tzolis was the highlight of the day, assisting Reiss Nelson for the opener and consistently threatening on the left wing, while Max Dowman lit up the right flank in a dominant first-half display.
Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead before Arteta made wholesale rotations after the break, introducing 18-year-old Ceadach O’Neill who capped off a 3-0 win with a fine finish.
Goalkeeper Illan Meslier — who signed from Leeds this month — made his debut between the sticks and kept Arsenal’s clean sheet intact.
Arsenal preseason fixtures:
July 25: Arsenal 3-0 MK Dons — Arsenal training ground
Aug. 1: Girona vs. Arsenal — Girona, 7 p.m.
Aug. 5: Arsenal vs. Real Betis — Dublin, 7.30 p.m.
Aug. 9: Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund — Emirates Stadium, 2 p.m.
Aug. 12: Arsenal vs. Como — Emirates Stadium, 7.30 p.m.
Aug. 16: Community Shield: Arsenal vs. Man City — Cardiff, 3 p.m.
Szoboszlai hits stunner, Liverpool get first win under Iraola
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool reign got off to a flying start with a 4-2 win over Sunderland on Saturday as his first starting XI featured a blend of youth and experience. However, the former Bournemouth coach was dealt yet another setback as injuries continued to pile.
Joe Gomez hobbled off injured 10 minutes into the first half, while new signing Jérémy Jacquet was left out of the squad for precautionary reasons, meaning Liverpool’s centre-back options are concerningly limited.
Liverpool are missing several key players — including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo who aren’t involved in preseason preparations.
Nevertheless, the Reds managed to see out a win under their new coach, with youngster Kieran Morrison opening the scoring and putting in one of the best individual performances of the night. Substitute Dominik Szoboszlai stole the spotlight with his second-half cameo — scoring an absolute rocket and assisting Lewis Koumas for the winner after Federico Chiesa netted Liverpool’s third.
It remains to be seen if new boss Iraola can hand Chiesa a second chance at Liverpool next season or if the Italian’s spell with the Reds will come to an end.
Liverpool preseason fixtures:
July 25: Liverpool 4-2 Sunderland
July 30: Liverpool vs. Wrexham — New York, 12.30 a.m.
Aug. 2: Liverpool vs. Leeds — Chicago, 9 p.m.
Aug. 9: Liverpool vs. Monaco — Anfield, 2.30 p.m.
Aug. 16: Liverpool vs. Como — Anfield, 6 p.m.
Man United academy talents impress
Manchester United brushed off a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Wrexham with a 5-0 routing of Norwegian side Rosenborg on Friday.
The academy talents came out to play as Shea Lacey and substitutes Harry Amass, Jacob Devaney and Ethan Williams all scored alongside Joshua Zirkzee to hand United their first win in preseason. It was of note that four of the five goalscorers have grown up and developed at United’s academy, waiting for their golden opportunity to shine and that they did.
New signing Andrey Santos earned his second start for the club after an impressive debut against Wrexham in the opener, partnering Mason Mount in midfield.
Manchester United preseason fixtures:
July 18: Man United 0-1 Wrexham
July 24: Man United 5-0 Rosenborg
August 1: Man United vs. Atletico Madrid — Stockholm, 2 p.m.
August 8: Man United vs. PSG — Gothenburg, 4 p.m.
August 12: Man United vs. Leeds — Dublin, 7.30 p.m.
August 15: Man United vs. AC Milan — Wroclaw, 3.45 p.m.
Newcastle draw as Bruno Guimarães talk continues
Newcastle followed up a resounding 3-0 win against Darlington with an underwhelming display against Gateshead on Satruday, needing an own goal to take a 1-1 draw. The senior stars struggled against the National League side, falling behind in the first half before Lewis Hall‘s strike took a big deflection off Ben Williams to spare their blushes.
The biggest talking point after that game was whether Bruno Guimarães will remain at Newcastle amid links to Arsenal.
When asked whether would still be at the club next season, Howe replied: “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future. That’s for other people to speculate about, but also conversations that I’m not part of.”
Guimarães is due to join the camp on Friday and fly out with the squad for a preseason training camp in Spain.
Newcastle preseason fixtures:
July 18: Newcastle 3-0 Darlington
July 25: Gateshead 1-1 Newcastle
July 29: Bristol City vs. Newcastle — Ashton Gate, 7.30 p.m.
Aug. 8: Valencia vs. Newcastle — Mestalla, 8 p.m.
Aug. 12: Everton vs. Newcastle — Murrayfield, 5.15 p.m.
Aug. 15: Newcastle vs. Bayer Leverkusen — St James’ Park, 3 p.m.
Aug. 16: Newcastle vs. Strasbourg — St James’ Park, 4 p.m.
Archie Gray captains Spurs win
Tottenham have made a bright start in their summer preparations and, after finishing 17th in back-to-back Premier League campaigns, they need all the winning momentum they can get ahead of next season.
Roberto De Zerbi named eight academy players against Auckland FC in the early hours of Sunday, with Archie Gray leading the side out. Dane Scarlett and second-half substitute Richarlison helped Spurs cruise to a comfortable 2-0 win.
The young skipper was instrumental in the opening goal, intercepting a loose pass before threading it to Manor Solomon who saw his shot saved. Scarlett pounced on the rebound to guide it home for Spurs and Richarlison doubled the lead, sweeping home with a close-range finish.
New signing Mateus Fernandes came on in the second half, after making an impressive debut in Spurs’ preseason opener. It took the Portuguese international just three minutes to announce himself to his new club as Tottenham got a taste of their new-look £185m midfield with Sandro Tonali.
Andy Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke will have to bide their time to make their Tottenham debuts in the upcoming weeks.
Tottenham preseason fixtures:
July 22: Tottenham 1-0 MK Dons
July 26: Tottenham 2-0 Auckland FC
July 29: Tottenham vs. Sydney FC — Sydney, 10.45 a.m.
Aug. 1: Tottenham vs. Chelsea — Sydney, 10.45 a.m.
Aug. 8: Tottenham vs. Getafe — Spurs training ground*, 3 p.m.
Aug. 15: Tottenham vs. Hoffenheim — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 3 p.m.
Aug. 16: Tottenham vs. Hoffenheim — Spurs training ground
Villa show off 19-year-old breakout star Luka Lynch
Aston Villa fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat to a spirited Porto side on Saturday, with the Portugal champions taking the lead inside five minutes before Luka Lynch bagged the equaliser. The 19-year-old has been the breakout star in Villa’s preseason tour so far with two goals and is certainly one to watch this summer.
Lynch and Aidan Borland were on the scoresheet alongside George Hemmings and Brian Madjo who scored a brace in a lively attacking display against Walsall in Villa’s opener. Modou Kéba Cissé also made his first appearance in a Villa shirt and was the only starter to not be substituted at half time.
Unai Emery will be keen to test out new arrivals Alejandro Garnacho and Johan Manzambi in Villa’s upcoming games to assess how they might line up next season following the departure of the highly-favoured Morgan Rogers who joined Chelsea.
Aston Villa preseason fixtures:
July 21: Walsall 0-5 Aston Villa
July 25: Porto 2-1 Aston Villa
July 28: Aston Villa vs. Real Sociedad — Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium, 7.30 p.m.
Aug. 1: Indonesia All-Stars vs. Aston Villa — Jakarta, 1 p.m.
Aug. 4: BG Pathum United vs. Aston Villa — Pathum Thani, 1.30 p.m.
Aug. 7: Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich — Hong Kong, 1 p.m.
Aug. 12: UEFA Super Cup — PSG vs. Aston Villa — Salzburg, 8 p.m.
Aug. 15: Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Aston Villa — Borussia Park, 2.30 p.m.
What about other clubs?
Wrexham sink another Premier League side
The Hollywood club continue to steal the headlines with impressive performances. Phil Parkinson’s side are cruising through an unbeaten preseason run, having taken down Man United with a 1-0 win before defeating Leeds United with a 3-2 win in Tampa.
Wrexham will be keen to make another promotion push in the Championship next season, having come close last year but missing out on the playoffs. They will be well up for the challenge of taking on Liverpool, as a win will see them secure three successive wins against Premier League opposition.
Sam Smith has been a bright spark, scoring against United and then bagging the winner against Leeds in another lively display.
