Petr Cech will be the prime focus as Arsenal get their preseason underway with a match against a Singapore Select XI side in the Barclays Asia Trophy at the National Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday.
Cech completed a headline-making move from Chelsea in this summer transfer window, and the goalkeeper will be in the spotlight when he makes his debut in Arsenal colours in front of what is expected to be a big Arsenal-supporting crowd.
"When you get to know Petr, he is still ambitious. Those types of signings give the team a lift," Mikel Arteta told Arsenal Player.
"The decision he made to come here after being a legend at Chelsea is not easy. I don't think many of them would do it at his age, and he is still hungry, he wants to prove himself at the top level and I think it is a really good decision for us.
"He could have gone to another league and thought, 'My name is in England forever with Chelsea and it's only going to be with Chelsea'. He knows he's going to get some criticism coming here and that the pressure is going to be on him a lot but he just wants to take it. He says, 'Okay I've got another chapter, and challenge and a chance to make Arsenal champions'."
Arsene Wenger has named a strong squad for this preseason tournament, with the manager knowing the importance of getting his players up to the optimum fitness levels with the start of the season less than a month away.
Arsenal play Chelsea in the Community Shield on 8 August, and with two games in the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 – Arsenal play their second game on Saturday against either Everton or Stoke City – and a couple more in the Emirates Cup, Wenger does not have too many games to get his team back to their groove.
However, the opening match against the Singapore Select XI will see Wenger giving an opportunity to several youngsters, who have been named in the squad.
"For us it's important because it's a football game and the best way to test where you stand in preseason is to see how far you are and how quickly we can find our game back," Wenger said.
"As well it's a good opportunity for me to give a chance to players who are on the fringe of the team and to see how close they are to contributing. That can influence my decisions before the transfer market is over."
Arsenal squad: Goalkeepers: Petr Cech; Wojciech Szczesny, Emiliano Martinez.
Defenders: Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, Gabriel, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal.
Midfielders: Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Dan Crowley, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Iwobi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gedion Zelalem, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Chris Willock, Jack Wilshere.
Forwards: Chuba Akpom, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott.
Where to Watch Live
Arsenal vs Singapore Select XI Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 is scheduled for an 8.30 pm local time (6 pm IST, 1.30 pm BST, 8.30 am ET) start. Star Sports 4 will show the preseason match live in India and the rest of the sub continent.
Viewers in the UK can catch all the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 action live on Sky Sports 1, with the live stream options on Sky Go and Watch Sky Sports.
Audience in Australia can watch Arsenal vs Singapore XI live on Fox Sports 4, while the match can also be live streamed online on Foxtel.
Sportsnet and Watch Sportsnet are the places to be to watch Arsenal play in Canada, while viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch all the action live on Bein Sports or via a live stream on Bein Sports Connect.
