Arsenal faced another setback in their pre-season preparations, losing 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup. This marked the second consecutive defeat for the Gunners ahead of their Premier League title defense.

The atmosphere was festive as new signing Bruno Guimaraes was introduced to the fans before kick-off, celebrating Arsenal's return to the Emirates Stadium since clinching the league title in May. Martin Odegaard, the team captain, made his comeback following the World Cup, and Gabriel Magalhaes featured in defense. However, sharp strikes from Samuele Inacio and Konstantinos Karetsas put Arsenal two goals down before halftime.

In their previous outing, Arsenal lost 3-1 to Real Betis in Dublin, and they found themselves in a similar predicament when Joane Gadou scored shortly after Ethan Nwaneri had reduced the deficit.

Despite a late penalty conversion by Viktor Gyokeres, which offered a glimmer of hope, Arsenal's attempts were thwarted. A late goal from Gabriel Martinelli was disallowed for offside, ending Arsenal's chances of leveling the match.

Looking ahead, Mikel Arteta's squad will face Como on Wednesday, which will serve as their final pre-season fixture before they meet Manchester City in the Community Shield next Sunday and Coventry City in their Premier League opener the following Friday.