Arsene Wenger
Arsenal begin their pre season campaign against Lens Getty Images

Arsenal travel to Stade Bollaert-Delelis in northern France on Friday (22 July) to play Ligue 2 side Lens for their first pre-season game of the season. Post the game, they will proceed to the US to take on the MLS All-Stars in San Jose on 28 July and Chivas Guadalajara in Los Angeles on 31 July.

The Gunners will travel with a depleted squad, especially with a majority of their first team players still recovering from their travails in various international tournaments over the summer.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 7pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be available on Arsenal.com and the Arsenal App (on iOS or Android).

Overview

The north London club begin their Premier League campaign against Liverpool on Sunday (14 August) at the Emirates and will be looking to get in shape for the season with a series of high intensity games. The pre-season will be a decisive one for many players especially the likes of Jack Wilshere, who missed the majority of last season with a broken leg.

The England international featured in the recently completed European Championships in France, but was criticised for his lack of fitness and impetus, something he needs to work on before the season starts.

The 24-year-old has been extremely unlucky with injuries, having been sidelined for the entire season last year after he suffered a broken leg in a clash with defender Gabriel in training. Meanwhile, Mathieu Debuchy also has a point to prove in a bid to get back his starting spot ahead of Hector Bellerin, having had to wait the major part of last season on the substitutes bench before being loaned off.

Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny are among the few players who will be unavailable for the fixture along with a few other players who were involved in the Euros and the Copa. New signing Granit Xhaka should be back in the next few days after being given an extended holiday by manager Arsene Wenger after the European Championship . The Switzerland international missed a penalty against Poland in the shoot-out which led to the Swiss crashing out of the tournament.

However, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Per Mertesacker, Calum Chambers and Alex Iwobi are all set to feature as they look to prove a point for their inclusion into the team. Theo Walcott could stake a claim for a starting spot with a good performance in pre-season while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be desperate to live up to his potential on the back of yet another injury ridden season. Jeff Reine-Adelaide is another player who could feature in Wenger's plans for the coming season.

Team news

Arsenal

Possible XI: Martinez; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers, Monreal; Coquelin, Elneny; Chamberlain, Iwobi, Reine-Adelaide; Walcott.