Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal are "moving in the right direction", and Wednesday evening's Arsenal vs Betis meeting in Dublin should offer another useful marker as both clubs continue their preseason build-up.
Arsenal opened their summer with a 4-1 win over Girona in Catalonia at the weekend, a result that gave Arteta encouragement as his side prepare for the 2026-27 campaign and a Premier League title defence. Betis, meanwhile, arrive with much more football already in their legs after playing five summer friendlies, winning four of them and losing only against Granada.
Arsenal's preseason has started with purpose
The key point for Arsenal is that this remains a process. They are still early in preseason, but the performance against Girona suggested that the structure is there and the players are already settling into the manager's ideas.
Arteta's view after that game was simple enough: Arsenal are moving in the right direction. In preseason, that is often the most important sign, especially when the emphasis is on sharpness, rhythm and getting the team ready for what comes next rather than chasing full intensity from the first whistle.
That next step comes quickly. Arsenal have the Community Shield scheduled for Aug. 16, and after that they are due to open the Premier League season against Coventry City. So even at this stage, the margin for a flat performance is small.
Betis bring rhythm and a different kind of test
Real Betis are in a different part of their summer. They have already gone through five preseason matches and should arrive in Dublin with more match practice than Arsenal. That can matter in a friendly of this type, where timing and fitness often show up as much as quality.
Betis also have their own bigger picture. They are back in the Champions League after finishing fifth in the division, and they came into this period with confidence after winning the Copa del Rey in 2022. Before returning to Spain, they still had a friendly scheduled against Bournemouth, so their preparation remains busy.
For Mikel Arteta, the value of Arsenal vs Betis is not just the result. It is about whether the team can keep building momentum against an opponent with enough cohesion to ask real questions. Arsenal may be the side still taking shape, but this is exactly the sort of fixture that can show whether the early signs are real.
If the performance again points in the right direction, then Arsenal will head into the next stage of preseason with more belief. If not, the conversation will quickly return to how ready they really are for the demands of the new campaign.
