Arsenal, Tottenham to play pre-season north London derby in Hong Kong
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The London rivals will clash at Hong Kong’s new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HONG KONG – Arsenal will play Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first north London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said on March 31, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan.
The London rivals will clash at the city’s new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31, just over two weeks before the start of the English Premier League season.
“Everyone at Arsenal is excited to be visiting Hong Kong in July. (It) gives us the opportunity to meet so many of our fantastic supporters in the region again.
“As well as training hard and playing the match, we cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world,” said Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick.
“Playing against Tottenham Hotspur... will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season.”
Spurs are also looking forward to engaging with fans in Hong Kong.
“There are few bigger occasions in English football than a north London derby and to play this fixture in Hong Kong will be a huge occasion for our passionate fan base across Asia, as well as providing ideal preparation for the team ahead of the new season,” said chief revenue officer Ryan Norys.
“As is our tradition, the club will be involved in so much more than the match itself when we visit – supporting charitable causes, celebrating local culture, delivering football clinics for young people and engaging with fans and partners.”
Former Tottenham and England defender Ledley King, meanwhile, said it would give Hong Kong fans “a glimpse of what a north London derby is like”.
“We’re obviously neighbours back home so it’s going to be strange to come all the way across the other side of the world to play your neighbours, but it’s fantastic for the fans in Asia,” he said.
“It’s a pre-season game, but there’s no friendlies when these two teams play each other.”
Liverpool will play Italian Serie A giants Milan at the same stadium on July 26. It will be a re-run of the classic 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds won on penalties after being 3-0 down at half-time.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool are likely to head to Hong Kong as Premier League champions – they are currently 12 points clear with nine games left.
After Hong Kong, Liverpool will travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates.
The Reds were last in Asia in 2023 when they were joined by Spurs, Leicester City and German giants Bayern Munich for friendly matches at the Singapore National Stadium.
Hong Kong officially opened a major HK$32 billion (S$5.5 billion) sports park
Hong Kong officially opened a major sports park in March with the futuristic Kai Tak Stadium as its centrepiece of it.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The stadium saw its first major event last weekend when it hosted the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens,
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.
