Dubai: Unai Emery’s Arsenal are scheduled to land at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport at 8pm on Thursday.

The English Premier League side are scheduled to play a friendly against Al Nasr Club to mark the official opening of their new Al Maktoum Stadium on March 26, and will be leaving from Heathrow Airport on Flight EK8 at 9.10am on Thursday. The flight is expected to touch down at 8pm, after which the team and staff will be taken to the Ritz-Carlton at Gate Village, Dubai International Financial Centre.

Al Nasr, who are associated closely with Emirates in coordinating the weeklong trip, told media that the team has agreed to be involved in a couple of activities during their stay here, including a visit to the Rashid Centre For People With Determination (behind Mall of the Emirates) on Sunday followed by a visit to the palace of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, who has been the Chairman of Al Nasr since 1960.

“Since Arsenal were headed to Dubai for their training camp we thought it would be a good idea to have a friendly match to mark the occasion and get our new stadium formally opened,” Ahmad Al Khoory, Vice President of Al Nasr’s Board of Directors, told Gulf News.

“We are here to facilitate a smooth and relaxed visit for Arsenal. The highlight will be the friendly with Al Nasr, where we want spectators to come and enjoy a good game of football at our world-class new stadium,” Al Khoory, also the Senior Vice-President of Commercial Operations in West Asia and Indian Ocean at Emirates Airline, added.

Emery is expected to lead his squad on their first training session at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, on March 22.

The training camp and the friendly against Al Nasr is a crucial part of Emery’s team’s preparations for the remainder of the English Premier League starting with their home encounter against Newcastle United on April 1.

The friendly against Al Nasr has been confirmed for 5.30pm on March 26 with tickets on sale on Platinum List and at the new stadium in Oud Metha, Bur Dubai. Tickets have been priced at Dh100-150.