Arsenal and Tottenham announced on Monday that they will face each other in a pre-season match in Hong Kong, marking the first time a North London derby has been played outside of the UK. Additionally, Liverpool is set to compete against AC Milan during this period.
The London adversaries will face off at the newly built 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium in the southern Chinese city on July 31.
"Competing against Tottenham Hotspur at the spectacular new Kai Tak Stadium will offer an excellent experience for both squads and their fans alike, and this match will play a crucial role in our pre-season training as we gear up for the upcoming season," stated Arsenal’s managing director Richard Garlick.
On July 26, Liverpool will face off against Serie A heavyweights AC Milan at the same venue.
It will be a rerun of the memorable 2005 UEFA Champions League final, where the Reds managed to secure victory through penalty kicks despite trailing 3-0 at halftime.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool team appears headed for Hong Kong as the probable Premier League champions, given their current lead of 12 points with just nine matches remaining.
Liverpool will also travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates.
This month, Hong Kong inaugurated a significant new sports complex costing $3.85 billion, featuring the cutting-edge Kai Tak Stadium as its centerpiece.
The venue witnessed its inaugural significant event during the weekend as it played host to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, attracting over 110,000 attendees across three days.
It is all part of efforts to restore the city’s image, which took a battering after political protests and a Beijing-imposed national security law.
Visitor numbers to Hong Kong also plummeted during almost three years of strict Covid curbs and have only recently begun to recover.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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