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Arsenal have comfortably beaten the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium, but the Wanderers did at least manage a goal of their own against the visiting EPL giants.
Final score
Western Sydney Wanderers 1
Arsenal 3
English Premier League giants Arsenal will be looking to make it back to back wins in Australia when they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers in the second leg of their tour. Catch all the live scores, highlights and action on The Roar from 8pm (AEST).
The Gunners kicked off their first trip to Australia in 40 years with a win over A-League champions Sydney FC on Thursday.
It was the perfect start for the FA Cup champions who found the back of the net twice through skipper Per Mertesacker and record-breaking signing Alexandre Lacazette on debut for his new side.
After testing the waters against the sky blues earlier in the week, it’s time for Arsene Wenger’s men to take on the Wanderers inside the same stadium.
The Wanderers limped their way to sixth in a disappointing A-League season before being bundled out on penalties in the first round of the finals.
While it’s going to be a tough test for the Wanderers, coach Tony Popovic can see the long-term benefits from having the English big guns down under.
“It’s very early in our pre-season but a game like this always helps the players, and to test themselves against the best,” said Popovic.
“For a lot of our young players they’ll be coming up against their idols and they get a chance to showcase themselves and showcase Australian football.”
Team News
The Wanderers will welcome the club debut of Spanish striker Oriol Riera after the 31-year-old joined the club earlier this year as a marquee signing.
Popovic will also be testing the waters with new signings from the off-season in Josh Risdon, Michael Thwaite and Roly Bonevacia.
For the Gunners, Wenger is likely to change his starting line up with most of his key players coming off the bench in a mass 10-man change in the second half against Sydney.
Lacazette is in line to get his first start for the club, while Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be looking at starts as well.
Prediction
The Gunners were experimental on Thursday night as they should be during pre-season friendlies like these, but they were still the better side by a long way.
Expect a lot of the same tonight. The Wanderers aren’t on the same level but this is a rare chance for players to impress an international audience so they’ll be fighting hard for 90 minutes.
Arsenal to win 4-0
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