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Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund: Emirates Cup offers Arteta and Kovac a serious pre-season test. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Arsenal show strong attacking form with 11 goals in five matches but defensive lapses remain a concern. Dortmund have attacking threats yet face key defensive absences. Arsenal's perfect Emirates Cup record and attacking momentum suggest they can win while Dortmund still score.
A 3-1 scoreline fits Arsenal’s recent pattern of high scoring and defensive vulnerability. Dortmund’s matches often feature goals at both ends, and Arsenal’s attacking unit is well placed to break down a depleted Dortmund defence, making this a logical exact score prediction.
Compare form, H2H, goals trends and key data for Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for an Emirates Cup meeting that should feel rather more meaningful than the usual summer friendly.
Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund — bet365 Market Snapshot
Swipe through key markets with illustrative probabilities and sample bet365 odds based on our match analysis.
Arsenal’s higher recent win rate and scoring frequency give them a slight edge over Dortmund’s inconsistent pre-season.
Borussia Dortmund hold the stronger winning edge, while Arsenal still offer enough threat for BTTS.
Borussia Dortmund carry the stronger defensive profile, while Arsenal remain vulnerable in the likely scoreline.
Arsenal hold the stronger overall profile, leaving Borussia Dortmund needing a sharper performance.
Three Punchy Stats
- Arsenal have scored 11 goals across their last five matches, but they have also conceded nine. That combination captures the central theme surrounding Sunday’s hosts: significant attacking output has been accompanied by enough defensive vulnerability to keep Arteta occupied.
- Borussia Dortmund’s four pre-season fixtures have produced an exact split of two wins and two defeats, with five goals scored and four conceded. Their summer has offered neither sustained momentum nor sustained decline, making the Emirates Cup a useful test of whether the 1-0 win over FC Tokyo can become the start of greater consistency.
- Arsenal have won the last four editions of the Emirates Cup and are chasing a 10th tournament triumph. Their sequence includes a 6-0 victory over Sevilla, a penalty success against Monaco, a 2-0 win over Lyon and last year’s 3-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao.
Attacking Efficiency Comparison
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund bring comparable attacking form into this contest.
Arsenal need the stronger start to tilt a tight form battle against Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund can seize momentum if Arsenal allow early pressure to shape the contest.
Defensive Solidity Comparison
Borussia Dortmund look steadier without the ball, while Arsenal remain exposed under pressure.
Arsenal’s defence has shown lapses that Dortmund can exploit.
Borussia Dortmund’s defensive discipline could force Arsenal into lower-quality chances.
Mikel Arteta’s side need a response after Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat to Real Betis, while Niko Kovac’s Dortmund arrive in London having alternated between wins and losses throughout a demanding pre-season schedule.
There is silverware involved, even if nobody will be confusing the Emirates Cup with the biggest prize of the campaign. More importantly, both managers have tactical problems to solve, returning players to manage and combinations to sharpen before competitive football takes over.
Arsenal need to turn frustration into control
Arsenal’s summer had been travelling smoothly before Real Betis applied a rather abrupt handbrake.
Three-goal victories over MK Dons and Girona gave Arteta’s side a perfect start to their preparations, but individual errors were punished in a 3-1 defeat to Betis. That result matters less than the reasons behind it.
Pre-season is designed to expose weaknesses before league points are available, and Arsenal have now been given a very obvious reminder that technical control means little if mistakes undermine the structure behind it.
Their recent results underline the contrast. Arsenal beat Girona 4-1 before losing 3-1 to Betis, while their broader five-match sequence also includes a 4-3 loss to PSG, a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace and a 1-0 success over Burnley.
That represents 11 goals scored and nine conceded across those five fixtures.
The attacking production is clear. So is the warning.
Against Dortmund, Arsenal will want to show that the Betis defeat was an interruption rather than the beginning of a pattern.
The Emirates Cup has become familiar territory
Arsenal have enjoyed an impressive relationship with their own summer competition.
They have won each of the last four editions and could reach double figures in total Emirates Cup triumphs this weekend.
Arteta has a perfect record in the competition. Arsenal defeated Sevilla 6-0 in 2022, overcame Monaco on penalties in 2023, beat Lyon 2-0 in 2024 and then defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the 2025 edition.
That record gives the fixture a little more emotional weight.
Nobody should pretend a pre-season trophy defines the campaign ahead, but habits are habits. Arsenal have made winning this particular fixture look routine under Arteta, and surrendering that sequence at home immediately after a three-goal defeat would hardly be the ideal mood-setter.
Summer football may be friendly, but footballers remain notoriously bad at enjoying defeat. That is probably a healthy character flaw.
Returning players change Arsenal’s possibilities
One of the most important elements of Sunday’s match is the gradual return of senior Arsenal players.
Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes both returned against Real Betis following Brazil’s World Cup run. Their second-half appearances were deliberately managed, with both players introduced and then withdrawn according to plan.
Martin Odegaard has also returned to training after his holiday and could make his first appearance of pre-season from the bench.
Those returns should give Arteta greater flexibility.
An Arsenal midfield involving Odegaard, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi offers a very different balance from experimental combinations used earlier in the summer. Odegaard brings another creative option, while Rice and Zubimendi provide experienced alternatives within the central structure.
There is a negative development, however.
Young midfielder Louie Copley suffered an injury against Betis and is feared to be facing a significant spell on the sidelines.
That reduces one of Arteta’s developmental options just as the squad moves closer to competitive football.
Gyokeres gives Arsenal a central reference point
Viktor Gyokeres is another player who can shape Arsenal’s attacking approach.
One possible XI has Meslier in goal behind Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes and Piero Hincapie, with Fabio Vieira, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kai Havertz in midfield. Max Dowman, Gyokeres and Martinelli could then form the front three.
Another available group includes David Raya, Rice, Odegaard, Zubimendi and Bukayo Saka.
Whichever combination Arteta chooses, Gyokeres gives Arsenal an obvious central presence around whom the attacking line can organise itself.
That matters tactically against Dortmund.
If Arsenal can establish sustained possession, their wide attackers should have opportunities to receive facing forward while Gyokeres occupies central defenders. The presence of a recognised focal point can also create space for midfield runners arriving around the penalty area.
The more difficult question concerns what happens when possession is lost.
The Betis defeat showed the cost of errors. Dortmund possess enough attacking options for Arsenal to discover very quickly whether their defensive spacing has improved.
Dortmund arrive with a perfectly imperfect summer record
Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season has been almost comically symmetrical.
Four matches have produced two victories and two defeats.
Kovac’s side opened with a 3-1 comeback win over Rot-Weiss Oberhausen, then lost 2-1 to Fortuna Dusseldorf. Their Japan trip brought two 1-0 scorelines in opposite directions: defeat to Cerezo Osaka followed by victory over FC Tokyo.
Fabio Silva scored the winner against Tokyo.
Dortmund therefore arrive at the Emirates after restoring some confidence, but their preparation has hardly followed a straight line.
They have scored five goals and conceded four across those four summer matches. Only one of the fixtures has seen Dortmund score more than once.
That gives Kovac a clear area to examine in London: how effectively can his side create against an Arsenal team trying to re-establish defensive authority?
Dortmund’s midfield selection could shape the contest
The biggest uncertainty for Dortmund surrounds Carney Chukwuemeka.
The midfielder lasted only 23 minutes against FC Tokyo before a knee problem flared up. Kovac subsequently provided a more reassuring update, but Chukwuemeka’s availability remains uncertain.
Dortmund are already without Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck because of longer-term knee injuries.
Should Chukwuemeka miss out, 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas could be handed an opportunity to make his debut after joining from Genk earlier this week.
That would introduce another fascinating element into the midfield battle.
One possible Dortmund side features Drewes; Reggiani, Waldemar Anton and Ritter; Daniel Svensson, Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha and Maximilian Beier; with Silva and Karetsas supporting Serhou Guirassy.
Other available options include Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, Yan Couto and Pascal Gross.
The precise selection may change, but Dortmund’s basic challenge will not: they must find a way to compete for central control without becoming pinned inside their own half.
Arsenal’s press could become the key tactical test
This match should become particularly interesting when Dortmund attempt to build from deeper positions.
Arsenal have the personnel to apply pressure high up the pitch, but an aggressive press only works when the distances behind the first line remain compact.
That is where the Betis mistakes become relevant.
Pressing is not merely about sprinting towards whoever has the ball. It is a collective mechanism designed to remove passing options, force predictable decisions and allow the next defender or midfielder to anticipate where possession will travel.
If one player jumps and the rest of the structure fails to move with him, Dortmund could find the spaces left behind.
Kovac’s side have players capable of operating through central areas, while Silva, Beier and Guirassy provide several attacking reference points.
For Arsenal, the challenge is therefore twofold: apply enough pressure to disrupt Dortmund’s rhythm without becoming stretched when that pressure is beaten.
That balance will tell Arteta far more than the colour of the trophy ribbons.
Familiar opponents, different versions
Arsenal and Dortmund have faced each other eight times competitively, with several meetings arriving during their Champions League campaigns of the early 2010s.
The six listed encounters between 2011 and 2014 illustrate how little separated them.
Arsenal won 2-1 at home in November 2011 after a 1-1 draw in Dortmund. In 2013, Dortmund won 2-1 in London before Arsenal responded with a 1-0 victory in Germany. Their two 2014 meetings were split again, Dortmund winning 2-0 at home before Arsenal answered with a 2-0 victory at the Emirates through goals from Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sanchez.
That competitive history is evenly balanced enough to avoid giving either side psychological ownership of the fixture.
More importantly, the present versions of these teams have immediate concerns that matter far more than decade-old scorelines.
Arsenal are trying to eliminate individual errors while reintegrating important players. Dortmund are managing midfield injuries and looking for attacking consistency.
A useful pressure test before competitive football
Dortmund finished second in the 2025-26 Bundesliga and will face Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup later this month. They also have another preparation fixture against Roma scheduled for August 15.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have Manchester City awaiting them in the Community Shield on August 16.
The calendar is therefore beginning to tighten around both clubs.
There is still room to experiment, but not much room to waste.
For Arteta, Sunday provides an opportunity to restore momentum, give returning players carefully controlled minutes and demand a cleaner defensive performance after the Betis defeat.
For Kovac, the challenge is to see whether Dortmund can impose themselves against stronger opposition while continuing to manage a squad containing important absences.
The emotional temperature should be higher than the phrase “friendly trophy” suggests.
Arsenal have made a habit of winning the Emirates Cup and will not be eager to surrender it immediately after an uncomfortable defeat. Dortmund, meanwhile, are unlikely to travel to London merely to admire the stadium and politely participate in somebody else’s celebration.
The trophy itself may be inconsequential in the grand scheme of 2026-27. The tactical information available from the afternoon will not be.
For two teams approaching meaningful competitive fixtures, Sunday is another chance to discover which problems have been solved — and which ones are about to become considerably more expensive.
📊 Market Explainer
Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
Selection: Arsenal to win and both teams to score. Both teams must score at least once during normal time. The match winner does not matter; the selection is settled only by whether each side finds the net.
Correct Score Market
Selection: Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund 3-1. Predict the exact score at the end of 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties do not count unless the bookmaker states otherwise.
🎯 Pick 1: Arsenal to win and both teams to score @ 15/8
Arsenal enter Sunday’s Emirates Cup tie displaying exceptional attacking output paired with clear defensive vulnerabilities. Across their last five fixtures, Mikel Arteta’s side scored 11 goals but conceded nine, highlighted by a 4-1 victory over Girona and a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis where individual errors broke their defensive structure. The integration of Viktor Gyokeres offers a formidable focal point in attack, while the return of senior figures Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Martin Zubimendi provides enhanced technical control across the pitch.
Borussia Dortmund maintain an even pre-season record of two victories and two defeats, scoring five goals and conceding four. Niko Kovac’s side possess genuine attacking threat through Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva, who scored the winning goal against FC Tokyo. However, Dortmund face significant midfield and defensive depletion, with Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck sidelined by knee injuries and Carney Chukwuemeka doubtful after suffering a knee issue in Japan. Arsenal hold a perfect Emirates Cup record under Arteta, winning the last four editions while scoring heavily. Given Arsenal’s goalscoring momentum and Dortmund’s missing defensive starters, the home side possess the quality to secure a victory while conceding to Dortmund’s capable forward line.
🎯 Tactical Indicators
- Arsenal recorded 11 goals scored and nine conceded over their last five matches.
- Dortmund miss key central defenders Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck due to long-term knee injuries.
- Mikel Arteta maintains a 100% winning record in the Emirates Cup across four previous tournament editions.
Risk Factor: Individual errors in Arsenal's defensive build-up or a quiet clinical display from Dortmund could alter match momentum.
Key Tactical Mismatch
Accumulated 11 goals in their last five fixtures. Viktor Gyokeres provides a direct central focal point supported by returning playmakers Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.
Operating without key defensive figures Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck due to knee injuries, while Carney Chukwuemeka remains doubtful following a knee flare-up.
🎯 Pick 2: Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund 3-1 @ 10/1
A 3-1 scoreline for Arsenal reflects recent performance patterns for both teams heading into competitive August fixtures. Arsenal’s pre-season campaign includes a 4-1 triumph over Girona alongside a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis, establishing a clear pattern of high goal volume combined with occasional defensive lapses. Averaging over two goals scored per match across their past five games, Arsenal’s attacking unit featuring Gyokeres, Odegaard, and Rice is structured to generate sustained pressure against a depleted German backline.
Dortmund opened their summer schedule with a 3-1 victory over Rot-Weiss Oberhausen and a 2-1 loss to Fortuna Dusseldorf, demonstrating that Kovac’s side frequently features in matches with goals at both ends. While Dortmund have enough transitional quality through Silva, Maximilian Beier, and Guirassy to score at the Emirates Stadium, their structural missing pieces in midfield make holding Arsenal under three goals a stern challenge. Arsenal have scored three or more goals in three of their last four Emirates Cup triumphs, including 6-0 against Sevilla and 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao. A 3-1 home win logically satisfies Arsenal’s offensive dominance and ongoing adjustment period in defence.
Risk Factor: Late substitutions or reduced second-half tempo could limit the final scoreline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Arsenal to win and both teams to score" mean?
This bet requires Arsenal to win the match in regulation time and Borussia Dortmund to score at least one goal.
How does the Correct Score market function in summer fixtures?
The Correct Score market demands predicting the exact final scoreline after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, excluding extra time or penalty shootouts.
Why are Arsenal favoured to beat Borussia Dortmund?
Arsenal have won four consecutive Emirates Cup tournaments and scored 11 goals in their last five matches, while Dortmund face key injuries.
What is the main difference between Match Result and Double Chance?
Match Result requires choosing a single outcome, while Double Chance covers two outcomes, increasing winning probability but lowering odds.
How do injury updates affect betting market values?
Missing key starters impacts team structure and shifts market pricing, affecting defensive reliability and midfield control.
Why select a 3-1 Correct Score instead of a Match Result bet?
A 3-1 scoreline offers higher odds due to its specificity, suiting scenarios with attacking favourites showing scoring and defensive lapses.
Does pre-season form directly indicate competitive season performance?
Pre-season form offers tactical insights but managers prioritize rotation; competitive matches have higher tactical intensity.
What happens to standard bets if the match ends in a penalty shootout?
Standard bets settle on the official 90-minute scoreline plus stoppage time; penalty shootout goals do not count.
