Emirates Cup 2009 Teams Confirmed

Emirates Cup 2009 Teams Confirmed
 
Arsenal to Host Atletico Madrid, Rangers and Paris Saint-Germain in Pre-Season Tournament
 
Following the huge success of the two previous Emirates Cup tournaments in 2007 and 2008, Arsenal Football Club and Emirates are delighted to announce that Emirates Stadium will once again host a two-day pre-season tournament featuring four of Europe’s leading clubs.
 
Emirates Cup 2009 will take place over the weekend of Saturday 1st August and Sunday 2nd August, and joining the Gunners for this summer’s exciting tournament will be Scottish giants Rangers, Spanish side Atletico Madrid and leading French club Paris Saint-Germain.
 
Similar to the previous Emirates Cup tournaments, two matches will be played on each day, with the kick-off times being at 2pm and 4.15pm, with one ticket giving fans access to both matches on that particular day.
 
The four participating teams boast many high profile international players who will feature over the weekend, which will also offer many Gunners supporters the first opportunity to see the Arsenal first team squad play ahead of the 2009/2010 season.
 
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “Emirates is extremely excited that through our long-term partnership with Arsenal and our sponsorship of the Emirates Stadium, we are able to host this fantastic pre-season tournament for the third year running.
 
“We look forward to watching these four teams in actions, including two of our sponsored teams in Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.”
 
Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis said: “We are delighted to be once again hosting the Emirates Cup in August 2009.
 
“Atletico Madrid, Rangers and Paris Saint-Germain all have great pedigree and will contribute to an exciting weekend of pre-season football.
 
“Following the huge success of the Emirates Cup tournaments in 2007 and 2008, we are delighted to once again be offering supporters the opportunity to watch two high quality matches each day over a weekend, for as little as £25 (AED 125) a ticket per day.
 
“The tournament will of course, also provide a very competitive level of preparation for all the teams ahead of the 2009/2010 season.”
 
 The tournament kicks-off  with Rangers taking on Paris Saint-Germain, followed by the hosts Arsenal playing Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
 
Sunday’s fixtures also start with Paris Saint-Germain playing Atletico Madrid, with Arsenal and Rangers bringing the competition to an exciting climax, kicking-off their match at 4.15pm on Sunday afternoon.
 
Teams will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and will also earn one point for each goal they score in the competition. The winners will be presented with the Emirates Cup trophy after the second match on Sunday 2nd August.