A MINUTES APPLAUSE FOR JOSÉ ANTONIO REYES DURING THE EMIRATES CUP MATCH

Tomorrow, we will be facing Arsenal FC to compete for the 2022 Emirates Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser for the North London side since their move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury. As part of the fixture, there will be a tribute to José Antonio Reyes, who played for both sides.

Reyes came through the academy at Sevilla before joining the Gunners midway through their Invincibles season of 2003/04. He went on to win the Premier League and FA Cup during his two-and-a-half years there, before playing for Real Madrid, Atleti and Benfica.

He then returned to Sevilla in 2012, where he would win three Europa League titles in consecutive seasons. He left for Espanyol in 2016, and played for Córdoba, Xinjiang and Extremadura before he sadly passed away.

In a similar manner to matches against other clubs from Reyes' career, such as the 2019 testimonial away at Extremadura UD, and last season's Copa del Rey clash away at Córdoba CF, this is the first time we have faced Arsenal since his passing three years ago. 

As part of the fixture, which will kick off at 12:30 local time (13:30 CEST), there will be several acts in memory of Reyes, whose father, Francisco, will be in the Directors' Box at the Emirates Stadium. There will be a video displayed on the scoreboard before the match, with former teammates of Reyes at both Arsenal and Sevilla remembering Reyes as both a player and a person.

Just before kick-off, the managers of both teams, Mikel Arteta and Julen Lopetegui, will swap shirts. The Sevilla shirt will have the number 10, while Arsenal's shirt will have the number 9, the number Reyes wore in the Premier League. 

During the match, there will be a minutes applause in the 9th minute for Reyes, and the Man of the Match trophy will be named after him. You can watch tomorrow's match with all the acts live on Sevilla FC TV.