Arsenal and Stoke City to renew rivalry in off-season Barclays Asia Trophy

Arsenal and Stoke City have been confirmed as participants for the biannual Barclays Asia Trophy scheduled to take place in Singapore during the off-season.

They will be joined in the competition by fellow premier league side Everton and a selected Singapore XI.

Premier League chief Richard Scudamore expressed his joy at taking the Premier League brand to new shores and predicted the most competitive edition of the tournament ever.

“We are very excited to bring the Barclays Asia Trophy to Singapore for the first time. We know Singaporeans love their football and that they are huge fans of the Barclays Premier League,” he said.

“Arsenal have always been one of the most thrilling teams in the Premier League: they have some wonderful players and I’m sure they’ll delight their many fans from across Southeast Asia.

“Everton under Roberto Martinez continue to play an exciting brand of football, while Stoke City mix flair with a never-say-die attitude. Fans in Singapore should expect our most competitive ever Barclays Asia Trophy.”

One fixture that certainly would be exciting to watch is the game between Arsenal and Stoke as the two sides have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has often condemned Stoke’s physical approach and has criticized the Potters on numerous occasions in the past most recently Marko Arnautovic for pushing Mathieu Debuchy in their last meeting in January which led to a dislocated shoulder for the Frenchman.