U21s preview: Enfield Town vs Arsenal

Our under-21s have passed the midpoint of their pre-season schedule, with a trip to Enfield Town at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium next up on Tuesday, July 29. Kick-off is at 7pm (UK time).

Max Porter will be keen to give his players another run out, after our young Gunners returned from an overseas 4-1 loss to Austria Wien II in Vienna on Saturday. With three fixtures still to play, the hunt for a first pre-season win continues ahead of the upcoming Premier League 2 campaign.

The opposition

In their maiden season in English football’s sixth tier last season, Enfield Town were anchored to the bottom of the Vanarama National League South at the turn of the year, yet avoided relegation on the final day of 2024/25 in dramatic fashion. Tipped to go down, Town resurged through March and April via an eight-match unbeaten run, to earn themselves a three-way battle of survival with St Albans and Salisbury. Neither side was able to find a win in the season closer, which completed Enfield’s great escape.

Preparations to maintain their league status are well underway. While their pre-season campaign has so far produced mixed results, a recent 2-0 victory over Braintree has provided a boost, and the Towners will be aiming to gain momentum on Tuesday night.

Manager Gavin Macpherson has bolstered his ranks with the signings of Ruaridh Donaldson, Avan Jones, Harry Lodovica, Lamar Reynolds and Tommy Wood, as Enfield look to build on last season’s 19th-placed finish.

We last met our north-London neighbours during pre-season 12 months ago, with Dan Casey netting from range in a 2-1 defeat.

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How to follow the action

Live updates will be available throughout the match on our academy's official X account. A full match report will be published on Arsenal.com shortly after the final whistle, as well as reaction from the players.

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