SINGAPORE: English Premier League sides Arsenal and Newcastle United, along with Italian giants AC Milan, will play a series of pre-season games in Singapore in July, it was announced on Friday (Apr 11).

This marks the return of the Singapore Festival of Football in a five-year partnership that will see regular European football fixtures played in Singapore in alternate years - 2025, 2027 and 2029.

In a press release, tournament organisers TEG Sport, who have partnered with the Singapore Tourism Board, said Arsenal will play their first match against AC Milan on Jul 23 before meeting Newcastle United on Jul 27.

Both fixtures, as well as an Arsenal open training session on Jul 25, will be held at the Singapore Sports Hub.

The Gunners, who are currently second in the Premier League, beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals earlier this week.

They last visited Singapore to compete in the 2018 International Champions Cup tournament where they faced Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.

The Magpies, on the other hand, have not been in Singapore since 1996, when they beat an S-League All-Stars team. Eddie Howe's men ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy last month.

This will be the first time Milan will play in Singapore. Sergio Conceicao's men currently sit 9th in the Serie A.