Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Emirates Cup clash between Arsenal and Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium.
This is effectively the final of the pre-season tournament, with Arsenal needing to simply avoid defeat in order to lift the trophy for a fifth time having thrashed Benfica 5-2 yesterday.
Sevilla could still win the title themselves, although with extra points being awarded for goals they will need to make up a four-point gap on the Gunners following yesterday's fixtures.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of the action courtesy of our minute-by-minute updates below.
3.15pmGood afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what is effectively the Emirates Cup final as Arsenal and Sevilla go head to head having both won their opening fixtures yesterday. This tournament encourages attacking football by awarding extra points for goals - something which Arsenal took full advantage of yesterday - so hopefully we will be in for another entertaining and action-packed contest today. Before we take a closer look at that, though, let's first check out the team news...
3.17pmARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Koscielny, Elneny, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Willock, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Ozil, Lacazette, Welbeck
3.17pmARSENAL SUBS: Martinez, Mertesacker, Holding, Kolasinac, Bramall, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Nelson, Iwobi, Walcott, Giroud
3.19pmSEVILLA STARTING XI: David Soria; Mercado, Pareja, Carriço, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Krohn-Dehli, Banega, Correa, Nolito; Ben Yedder
3.21pmWhat can we make of those two teams, then? Well, it is no surprise to see wholesale changes to the Arsenal starting lineup today, with Arsene Wenger making the full 11 changes from the team that started against Benfica yesterday as expected. Theo Walcott, who scored twice in that game and put in a very impressive performance, is amongst those to drop out, with Mesut Ozil being introduced in his place.
3.23pmAlso in that front three is summer signing Alexandre Lacazette, who is already off the mark in an Arsenal shirt but will be keen to impress today having struggle against Chelsea in his last start. Giroud was among the scorers against Benfica and will not want to give up his place in the side without a fight, so Lacazette - who often finds himself behind Giroud in the pecking order for France - will need to prove that he deserve a starting role this season. Danny Welbeck makes up the attacking trio, taking the place of Iwobi.
3.25pmFurther back, Hector Bellerin takes the place of Nelson, who was among Arsenal's most eye-catching performers against Benfica and has earned plenty of plaudits for his displays throughout pre-season so far. Talk over a move for Bellerin has died down in recent weeks and he looks set to stay with the club this summer, while the same appears to be true of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who will operate on the opposite flank today. The Ox is one of a number of players who will be out of contract next summer, but Wenger has insisted that he will stay.
3.27pmRamsey and youngster Willock make up the midfield quartet in Arsenal's 3-4-3 formation, which also sees Elneny again drop back into defence. We have been more used to seeing Elneny play as a defensive midfielder throughout his Arsenal career so far, but he has played at the back a couple of times already in pre-season and will do so again today alongside Koscielny and Monreal, the latter of whom is also slightly out of position.
3.29pmPetr Cech completes the 11 changes in goal as Ospina drops out of the squad entirely, but there are still a number of notable absentees - chief among them Alexis Sanchez. Illness delayed his return to training amid ongoing speculation over his future, and he could now miss the start of the Premier League season as a result too. Cazorla, Mustafi, Gabriel and Wilshere are also currently sidelined, so Arsene Wenger already has something of an injury headache to deal with before the season has even begun.
3.31pmInterestingly, Sevilla have opted against the route of full changes despite only playing yesterday, with Eduardo Berizzo naming five of Saturday's starting lineup in his XI this afternoon. That includes the match-winner against RB Leipzig Wissam Ben Yedder, whose penalty means that Sevilla could still win the trophy today. He is likely to be Sevilla's main danger man again having scored 18 goals across all competitions last season.
3.33pmNolito is also handed a second consecutive start following his summer switch from Manchester City, where he never really managed to break into the first team on a regular basis. Another summer arrival - Ever Banega - is the third player to be retained from yesterday's starting lineup, while at the back both Carrico and Escudero start today having also played from the beginning against Leipzig.
3.35pmThe six changes include Steven N'Zonzi, who knows this ground well from his time with Stoke City, and Krohn-Dehli coming into the midfield along with Correa as Montoya, Borja Lasso and Pizarro drop out. David Soria gets the gloves this afternoon in place of Sergio Rico, while Corchia - a summer signing from Lille - and Lenglet are also amongst those to drop out for this one.
3.37pmWhether the decision to keep a bulk of the team from the previous day is a help or a hinderance remains to be seen, but Arsenal will go into this match as favourites despite the high level of opposition. The Gunners are, of course, at home in the Emirates Cup and should be sharper than their Spanish visitors today as they are further along in their pre-season preparations. It should be another good test for Wenger's side, though, which is exactly what they need as the season draws closer.
3.39pmIndeed, this is their final pre-season friendly before the campaign itself gets underway with the traditional curtain-raiser of the Community Shield. As FA Cup holders, Arsenal will take on Chelsea at Wembley in a week's time, which will be their last chance to get up to match speed before the really serious business of the Premier League gets underway. The Gunners have had a decent pre-season schedule so far, and a win today would keep their momentum from the Benfica triumph going.
3.41pmThis will be Arsenal's sixth match of pre-season, and so far there has only been one blemish - albeit a rather worrying one. The Gunners were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in Beijing just over a week ago, with all of the goals coming in a nine-minute spell either side of half time. Aside from that, though, it has been nothing but winning for Arsenal with victories over Sydney and Western Sydney Wanderers during their tour of Australia before a penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich.
3.43pmAny win over Bayern will be cherished by Arsenal fans - particularly after their humiliation at the hands of the Germans last season - but the highlight of their pre-season so far surely has to be yesterday's win over Benfica. It was by no means the perfect performance, with defensive lapses allowing Benfica to take the lead and they equalise later in the game, but going forward Arsenal looked really good. Walcott's brace, an own goal from Lopez and further strikers from Giroud and Iwobi fired the Gunners to a 5-2 victory, which puts them in command of this competition now.
3.45pmDue to the tournament seeing extra points awarded for goals, Arsenal go into this game with eight points after just the one game - four clear of Sevilla. As you might expect from their home tournament, Arsenal have been the dominant force in the Emirates Cup down the years, and victory here would seal a fifth title for them- including a second in a row following their triumph in 2015. There was a year off last year as the surface was relaid, but before that Arsenal had lifted the trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2010, in addition to two years ago.
3.47pmThis is, of course, all in preparation for the new season, which Arsenal fans will be hoping is better than last. Calls for Wenger to step down reached unprecedented heights last season but, despite missing out on the top four for the first time in his reign, he has signed a two-year contract and is now charged with leading the Gunners back into the Champions League. They only missed out by one point last season, but the competition is only getting fiercer and it will be another struggle this time around.
3.49pmArsenal have splashed a club-record fee to sign Alexandre Lacazette in an effort to push them back up into the top four, but since his arrival it has been quiet on the transfer front. Thomas Lemar has been heavily linked, while the Gunners are also thought to be monitoring Ross Barkley and - rather more ambitiously - Kylian Mbappe. The main talk is regarding players who could be on their way out, though, with speculation over Sanchez's future refusing to go away. He is one of eight first-team players to be out of contract next summer, and it doesn't look like anything will be sorted before Arsenal kick off the new Premier League season at home to Leicester on Friday, August 11.
3.51pmUnlike Arsenal, Sevilla did manage to make the top four last season, sealing their place in the Champions League for the campaign to come. Things could have been even better for them had they kept up their form throughout the campaign, though, as a late dip saw them slide away from contention for third place alongside Atletico Madrid. Sevilla did still finish five points clear of fifth place, though, so they clinched that final Champions League spot relatively comfortably in the end.
3.53pmSevilla only won four of their final 14 games of last season, drawing five and losing five during that spell of very mixed form - not what you would expect from a team challenging in the league and Champions League. Indeed, across all competitions they lost as many matches in their final 11 games as they had in their previous 32, which is an alarming slump for any team. Eduardo Berizzo will be keen to identify what the problem was an ensure that it doesn't rear its head again during the upcoming campaign.
3.55pmSevilla will be keeping an eye out for the Champions League playoffs draw, which takes place next Friday on August 4. They reached the last 16 of the competition itself last season following a magnificent run in the Europa League in the seasons prior to that, eventually being knocked out by the surprise package Leicester City. Sevilla will have some decent company in that draw from the playoffs, alongside Liverpool, Napoli, Sporting and Hoffenheim - a list Arsenal would love to be in too.
3.57pmBerizzo's side are relatively early into their pre-season campaign so far, having only had a trip to Japan before coming to North London for the Emirates Cup. It was a mixed bag in Japan too, beating Cerezo Osaka 2-1 before losing 2-0 to Kashima Antlers in the J-League World Challenge. They did return to winning ways yesterday, though, with Wissam Ben Yedder's penalty giving them a 1-0 win over Leipzig to leave them second on four points.
3.59pmThis is Sevilla's first ever appearance in the Emirates Cup, and victory today could be enough to see them become just the second ever Spanish winners of the tournament, following Valencia's success in 2014. After today's game Sevilla will stay in England for a little while and once again face two games in as many days next week. First they will take on Southampton at St Mary's on Saturday before playing Everton at Goodison Park a day later. Their final pre-season game then comes at home to Roma on August 9.
4.01pmSevilla do not begin the new La Liga season until 10 days after that final friendly, hosting Espanyol on August 19 in what - on paper at least - is the most difficult game of their opening five fixtures. Indeed, the fixture computer has been relatively kind to Sevilla on the whole with their start to the new season, playing two newly-promoted sides in their first four outings in addition to games against Eibar and Las Palmas, who finished 10th and 14th respectively last season.
4.03pmBerizzo has been relatively busy in the transfer market this summer, with the biggest acquisition coming in the form of Luis Muriel from Sampdoria for a fee worth around £17m. Ever Banega, Nolito, Guido Pizarro and Sebastian Corchia have also joined for a combined fee of around £25m, but the biggest piece of transfer news from the club this summer is the sale of Vitolo - who will spend the first half of the season on loan before officially completing his £30m switch to Atletico. He is one of a few notable departures from Sevilla this summer, alongside Iborra, Konoplyanka, Rami, Mariano and Cristoforo.
4.05pmPREDICTION: Right, we're nearing kickoff at the Emirates Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is not likely to be an easy game for Arsenal - Sevilla made decent progress in the Champions League last season and a fourth-placed finish in La Liga is nothing to be sniffed at - but the Gunners are further along in their preparations and also have some of their big guns out today. I'm going for a 3-1 home win.
4.07pmThere has already been one Emirates Cup tie today, with RB Leipzig beating Benfica 2-0 to claim a five-point haul which takes them above Sevilla into second place. Arsenal remain top and know that a draw will be enough to see them lift the trophy, but victory for Sevilla by more than two goals would see them win the tournament. In short, due to the points for goals system, anything can still happen in what is effectively the final.
4.09pmThese two sides have faced off twice before in competitive matches, and the only previous one at this stadium ended in a convincing victory for Arsenal. They ran out 3-0 winners in the group stages of the 2007-08 Champions League, with goals from Fabregas, Van Persie and Eduardo firing them to the three points.
4.11pmIt was a different story in the most recent meeting, though, when Sevilla gained an element of revenge on Arsenal for their defeat earlier in the group stages with victory in the reverse. The final scoreline was slightly less one-sided, but Sevilla still ran out 3-1 winners. Keita, Fabiano and former Tottenham man Kanoute were on the scoresheets for the hosts, while Eduardo got Arsenal's reply.
4.13pmArsenal ended last season strongly at the Emirates and come into this match having won each of their last six games in front of their own fans. Their unbeaten run stretches back eight matches - including seven wins - since their 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich in March.
4.15pmKickoff is now just five minutes away, and the Arsenal players have returned to the dressing room for their final preparations...
4.17pmA reminder of the team news before we get started...
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Koscielny, Elneny, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Willock, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Ozil, Lacazette, Welbeck
SEVILLA STARTING XI: David Soria; Mercado, Pareja, Carriço, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Krohn-Dehli, Banega, Correa, Nolito; Ben Yedder
1 minKICKOFF: Here we go, then! Sevilla get us underway at the Emirates!
3 minArsenal make their first bright break forward, which all begins from Cech giving the ball to Elneny and the midfielder-turned defender playing through the lines. Nothing comes of it, but they got forward quickly then.
5 minCHANCE! The hosts have the first chance of the contest too as Koscielny rises highest inside the area to meet a corner. He gets a good head on the ball too, but his effort lacks the power to really trouble the keeper.
7 minArsenal have settled into this one quickly and Wenger will be pleased with what he has seen from his side in these very early stages. They have been on top so far.
9 minBetter from Sevilla now as they begin to see more of the ball. They haven't threatened Cech's goal yet, but they are beginning to find a foothold in the game now.
11 minArsenal win another corner, but this time Soria comes off his line to claim it comfortably.
13 minSHOT! Sevilla knock the ball about inside the Arsenal half until Banega decides to take matters into his own hands and have a crack from range, but his strike flies a long way over the bar.
15 minOFF THE POST! Sevilla create their first chance, and they should be ahead. Banega threads a lovely pass into the feet of Ben Yedder, who darts between the middle of Elneny and Koscielny but places his finish against the foot of the post with only Cech to beat.
17 minSevilla want a penalty are Nolito's attempted cross into the middle strikes an Arsenal man, and the former Manchester City forward is adamant. The referee does not share his opinion, though, and waves the claims away.
18 minThis has been a really good spell for Sevilla, who should probably be ahead after that Ben Yedder chance. Arsenal are struggling to impose themselves on the game now.
19 minThe hosts could have a chance to turn the tide here as Monreal wins a free kick right on the edge of the box. Good shooting chance for Arsenal...
20 minSHOT! Oxlade-Chamberlain takes the shot on, but he fires it high over the wall and even higher over the crossbar. He may not be getting another one anytime soon.
22 minArsenal win another free kick, this time in a crossing position, but Ozil's inswinging delivery entices Soria out and he punches the ball to safety.
22 minCHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal to break the deadlock! Oxlade-Chamberlain exchanges passes with Lacazette before bursting down the left flank and playing a ball in to the back post, where Bellerin is unmarked. The Spaniard has to take it on first time, but it bounces just in front of him and he blazes the half-volley over when he really should have scored.
24 minWe're midway through the first half now and both sides have had chances which they really should have scored. No goals so far, though, and as things stand it is still Arsenal's trophy.
26 minGoing back to that earlier penalty appeal for Sevilla - the ball did strike the hands of Willock inside the area, but there was not much distance between the two players so it would have been a harsh one to give. Correct decision from Andre Marriner.
28 minHalf a chance for Carrico as he is left unmarked in the area from a corner, but he gets his header all wrong and is never troubling Cech with his effort.
29 minCHANCE! Another chance for Arsenal as Lacazette's knockdown finds Welbeck, who uses his pace to burst past Carrico. He can't quite get his feet sorted on the run, though, and eventually tries a toe-poke with his right foot that goes wide of the near post.
31 minArsenal do seem to be a lot sharper and quicker than Sevilla today, which is to be expected considering their differing levels of fitness. There have been a few times where Oxlade-Chamberlain or Welbeck have just coasted past their men with their blistering pace.
32 minCHANCE! The hosts threaten again as Ramsey somehow bundles his way through three or four challenges on his way into the box. He eventually manages to get a shot away, but it flies well wide.
34 minSHOT! This would have been some way to break the deadlock! A lofted ball forward is only cleared as far as Nolito, who tries a first-time volley from 25 yards. He catches it well enough, but it dips narrowly wide of the post.
36 minLess than 10 minutes remaining until half time now and, while this one is still goalless, it has been played at a decent tempo for the most part. These fans want goals, though, and Sevilla need them if they are to win the tournament.
37 minSHOT! Willock almost gifts away the opening goal as he is caught in possession on the edge of his own box, but Mercado's subsequent effort is dragged well wide of the far post - closer to the corner flag, in fact.
38 minAlmost a chance for Arsenal at the other end as Welbeck breaks free down the right and looks to set the unmarked Lacazette up for a tap-in in the middle, but Pareja makes a crucial interception.
40 minArsenal win a corner with five minutes remaining of the first half, but there are no red shirts where it drops on the penalty spot and it is comfortably cleared.
42 minGood work from Sevilla as Banega clips a lovely pass in to Nolito, who twists and turns before dropping the ball back to Mercado. His cross is cleared behind for a corner, though, and that comes to nothing.
43 minYELLOW CARD! Escudero picks up the first card of this friendly for a cynical challenge on Bellerin.
45 minCHANCE! Big chance for Sevilla as a long pass forward from the back splits the defence wide open. Nolito has green grass ahead of him and is onside, but he tries to find his teammate in the middle and Koscielny makes the clearance. Waste of a huge opportunity right on the stroke of half time.
45 minHALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Sevilla
5.14pmThe referee brings an end to the first half here at the Emirates, then, and it is still goalless between Arsenal and Sevilla. Both sides have had their chances, though, and the game has been played at a decent tempo for the most part. As things stand it will be Arsenal who lift the Emirates Cup trophy, but there is still plenty of time for that all to change.
5.16pmThe closest we have come to a goal so far arrived for Sevilla after 15 minutes, when Banega threaded a pass through for Ben Yedder, who skipped between two defenders to leave himself with only the keeper to beat. His low finish did beat Cech too, but came back off the foot of the post as Arsenal survived.
5.18pmArsenal should have broken the deadlock themselves midway through the half when Oxlade-Chamberlain exchanged passes with Lacazette before bursting down the left flank and delivering a cross for an unmarked Hector Bellerin at the back post. It was the wrong man in that position, though, and he blazed his first-time half-volley over the crossbar when he really should have scored.
5.20pmSevilla have also threatened through Nolito and Mercado, but it is Arsenal who have created the majority of the chances so far today. Koscielny rose inside the box to meet a corner with a clean header after just five minutes, while Welbeck and Ramsey have also had decent sightings of goal. It remains goalless, though, and we are expecting to see plenty of changes during the coming 45 minutes.
46 minKICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half, and sure enough there have been changes. Just the one for Arsenal, with Bramall coming on in place of Bellerin. For Sevilla, Sergio Rico and Montoya are on for Soria and Nolito.
47 minOxlade-Chamberlain is on the right now following Bellerin's departure and he shows great pace to get to the byline early in this second half. His cross picks out Ramsey, but Arsenal have to make do with a corner.
49 minGOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Sevilla (Joaquin Correa)
49 minSevilla break the deadlock early in this second half as Correa tucks away a tidy finish from inside the box. The offside line was all over the place from Arsenal's defence and that allowed Correa to sneak in behind before giving Cech the eyes and rolling his finish into the bottom corner.
51 minThat goal makes things very interesting in terms of the Emirates Cup table - Arsenal and Sevilla are currently level on eight points apiece as things stand. The Gunners would still win the trophy if things stay like this, though, by virtue of their superior goal difference and goals scored.
53 minWe are now in the position where Sevilla need one more goal to win the tournament, whereas Arsenal will obviously be after a goal to prevent themselves from losing the game. Hopefully that will make for an exciting and attacking half of football!
55 minSevilla have made a good start to this half - aside from the goal they have spent a lot of time inside the Arsenal half and right now it is the visitors who look most like scoring next.
57 minArsenal can't seem to get any momentum going in attack at the moment. They have been on the back foot for the majority of this half, with Sevilla controlling proceedings at the moment.
58 minCHANCE! Cue the Arsenal chance. Ozil feeds the ball into the feet of Ramsey, who in turn tees it up for Lacazette. The striker hasn't had much to feed off today, and he rather snatches at this sight of goal. Sergio Rico drops on the ball to make a comfortable save.
60 minIt has been better from Arsenal in the last few minutes as they begin to get a foothold in the game again. Half an hour remaining, and this one is still very finely poised.
61 minSEVILLA SUBS: A double change for Sevilla as Banega and Escudero make way for Ganso and Lenget.
62 minARSENAL SUB: Arsenal make a change of their own as Willock is replaced by Granit Xhaka.
62 minGOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Sevilla (Alexandre Lacazette)
62 minArsenal have their equaliser, and it is a first goal at the Emirates Stadium for Lacazette! Oxlade-Chamberlain deserves all of the credit though, almost bullying his way past Lenglet with pace and power before playing a low ball into the box which goes all the way through to Lacazette. The striker is unmarked and left with an easy tap-in, which he duly tucks away.
64 minThat goal puts Arsenal back in control as far as the Emirates Cup is concerned. Sevilla now need two goals to pip them to the trophy, with Arsenal currently on 10 points and Sevilla now down to six.
66 minThat goal has kicked off the party atmosphere inside the Emirates - there is a Mexican waves making its way around the sun-bathed stadium now.
67 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Ganso as the ball is rolled back to him inside the box, but he fires his effort off target under pressure from Xhaka.
69 minGOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Sevilla (Steven N'Zonzi)
69 minWhere did this come from?! N'Zonzi restores Sevilla's lead with the most brilliantly languid wondergoal you might see this season. The ball arrives to the midfielder just outside the area and he casually swings his left boot at it, curling a stunning finish into the far top corner past a helpless Cech. Magnificent strike from the former Stoke man, and he made it look so easy!
71 minCHANCE! Almost a quick reply from Arsenal as Lacazette clips a pass in to Ramsey, who lets it hit his head before poking an effort goalwards that the keeper collects.
73 minSHOT! Oxlade-Chamberlain cuts inside from the right flank, moving across field in search of room to shoot. He does eventually let fly, but his strike loops over the crossbar.
74 minSEVILLA SUB: Another change from Sevilla sees Guido Pizarro come on for Carrico.
76 minOxlade-Chamberlain seems to have bulked up in the off-season and he is causing Lenglet quite a few problems with his strength. Again he shrugs off the sub down the right flank, but this time his cross is dealt with by N'Zonzi.
77 minLacazette is not moving very freely at the moment, and that is likely to concern Wenger enough to force him into a change. No point taking risks at this stage.
78 minSEVILLA SUB: There will first be a change for Sevilla, though, as Sebastien Corchia replaces Correa.
79 minARSENAL SUBS: Arsenal do make a couple of changes themselves here as Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott replace Lacazette and Elneny.
80 minSEVILLA SUB: Another change for the visitors sees Ben Yedder replaced by Carlos Fernandez.
82 minArsenal will still win the Emirates Cup if things stay like this, but they do not want to lose this game. Oxlade-Chamberlain in particular is pushing for an equaliser here.
84 minThis time Oxlade-Chamberlain shows his strength on the defensive side, shepherding the ball out for a goal kick when Sevilla were coming forward down the left.
86 minSHOT! Ramsey tries his luck from just outside the area with a curling strike, but he starts it too far wide of the post and it ends up not really troubling the keeper.
88 minJust two minutes left of normal time here and Sevilla still need one more goal if they are to win the trophy - although the players may not actually be aware of that given the complicated nature of the scoring system.
90 minThere will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Arsenal 1-2 Sevilla
90+3 minARSENAL WIN THE EMIRATES CUP!
6.13pmThe peculiar nature of the Emirates Cup is shown in all its glory as, despite winning both of their games, Sevilla miss out on the trophy to Arsenal, who won one and lost one. The Gunners' superior goals scored column means that they finish top of the pile having been level on points and goal difference with Sevilla, who ran out 2-1 winners today. Correa opened the scoring for the visitors before Lacazette scored his first home goal for the club to equalise, but Steven N'Zonzi's stunning winner proved to be the difference in the end.
6.15pmRight, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's game as Arsenal win the Emirates Cup despite falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for plenty more pre-season action to come, including live coverage of Manchester United vs. Valerenga here. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!