Arsenal take on Monaco in their second and final fixture of the Emirates Cup tonight, following a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Benfica in the opening game on Saturday.
Overview
The Gunners will be bubbling with confidence following their thumping win over the Portuguese champions. Yaya Sanogo was especially very impressive for the north London side as the French prodigy bagged four goals in the game.
Benfica, weakened by the departures of some of their star players this summer, were outclassed by the FA Cup winners in every department. Apart from Sanogo, Costa Rica's World Cup star Joel Campbell also starred on his Arsenal debut as he bagged a goal and provided an assist.
Arsenal did not seem to miss their German trio Per Mertasacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil (who are on extended vacations following their nation's triumph at the 2014 World Cup) as their new signings Calum Chambers and Alexis Sanchez, along with old faces including Aaron Ramsey, Thomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini and Kieran Gibbs, looked impressive in the match.
However, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists that people should not start jumping to conclusions after one good match.
"I think it's very difficult to draw any conclusions like that. Benfica might be in a different level of preparation. We are not completely ready, what is important is that during important spells of the game we played the way we wanted to play football - that is the most positive thing," Wenger told the club's official website.
Meanwhile, Monaco will be hoping to cause Arsenal some issues as the hosts look to lift the Emirates Cup for the first time in four years.
The French giants, who finished second in the Ligue 1 last season behind champions Paris Saint Germain, were made to toil for a 2-2 draw in their opening fixture against Valencia.
Although Monaco took the lead at the half hour mark through an own goal from Ruben Vezo, an own goal from Ricardo Carvalho brought Valencia right back into the game seven minutes later.
Monaca came under pressure after Paco Alcacer put the Spanish side in front at the 69th minute. But a late strike from substitute Lucas Ocampos helped the French level the game and salvage a point.
Wenger, who was the manager of Monaco for seven years (1987-1994), insist that the French side should not be taken lightly.
"They have a very high-quality squad at the moment. They buy players and look like they are in a run to beat PSG. It's not a team you want to play," Wenger said.
"They have many stand-out performers, Falcao was a massive signing last year and Kondogbia is a very interesting player because he's a left-footed midfielder and one of the promising stars, just behind Pogba, in the French national team."
Where to Watch Live:
The match between Arsenal and Monaco is set for 3 August at 4:20 pm BST (8:50 pm IST and 11:20 am EDT), and will be telecast on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD1 in India. Viewers in the UK can see the live action on BT Sport 1, while US viewers can catch the game on beIN Sports 3.
The game can be streamed worldwide HERE. If you are in the UK you can watch the game online HERE, and US viewers can stream the live action HERE.
