Arsenal's Belgian midfielder #19 Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring his team third goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 4, 2024. (Photo by Ian Kington / IKIMAGES / AFP) / RESTRICTED Photo: IAN KINGTON
Manchester United will play friendlies against rivals Liverpool and Arsenal in the United States later this year as part of their preparations for the next Premier League season.
"Tour 24" will have United take on Arsenal on July 27th at Los Angeles's 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium. They then meet Liverpool on Aug. 3 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, marking the biggest club soccer game ever played at the 77,559-capacity Williams-Brice Stadium.
Last year, United played four close-season games in the U.S. in front of 235,168 total fans, including a sold-out game against Arsenal in New Jersey.
Arsenal want to greet surging Newcastle with 'full energy'
Third-place Arsenal have played some of their best Premier League football in recent weeks, but will need to rebound from a disappointing midweek Champions League result when welcoming Newcastle United.
The Gunners (17-4-4, 55 points) romped past opponents by a combined 21-2 margin during a five-match league winning streak, defeating Crystal Palace, West Ham and Burnley by five or more goals and holding league leaders Liverpool to one effort on target in a convincing 3-1 home win.
But they absorbed a 1-0 defeat at FC Porto in the first leg of their UCL round of 16 series on Wednesday night, failing to record a single shot on target despite dominance in possession.
And while manager Mikel Arteta's team will still have a chance to overcome the aggregate deficit in the return leg early next month, he wants to see a similar response to when his team lost at Lens in the group stage last October, then followed it with a 1-0 win over currently second-place Manchester City on the weekend.
The Gunners began the weekend five points back of Liverpool with a match in hand, and one point back of City.
"That is the reaction that we need," Arteta said Friday. "We want to create an atmosphere in the stadium from the beginning and I ask everybody to go there tomorrow night with full energy because the team is going to need it. We are in a really good moment in the Premier League and we want to continue to be there and tomorrow's game is vital to achieve that."
When Arsenal have played well this season, Bukayo Saka has been a catalyst. His 12 league goals and seven assists are both team highs and account for a third of Arsenal's total league goals scored. He had scored six times in his last four league games before an uncharacteristically inactive night in Portugal.
Despite a dismal December, eighth-place Newcastle (11-10-4, 37 points) are still hoping to climb into the top six and a likely European place and begin the weekend seven points back of that spot held by Manchester United.
A combination of a crowded schedule and injuries contributed to a stretch where the Magpies lost six of eight in all competitions between Dec. 7 and New Year's Day. But elimination from Champions League play has allowed Eddie Howe's men to regroup, and Newcastle now enter the weekend unbeaten in their last five overall.
Newcastle scoring leader Alexander Isak could also return from an injury for his first action since late January.
"We are desperate to try and close the gap on the teams above us so we've got a lot to be motivated for," Howe said. "Hopefully the confidence is returning. We have a big challenge against Arsenal. We want to win."
- Reuters