Arsenal have a fitness boost with duo, while Martin Odegaard is set to stay sidelined with a ‘significant’ injury ahead of the Atalanta clash.
Arsenal are set to embark on their Champions League campaign with a tough away trip to Atalanta in this new format of the competition. The Gunners will come to Italy on the back of a tremendous victory over bitter-rivals Tottenham and have two more important games to manoeuvre before giving themselves some room.
During the pre-game press conference, Mikel Arteta was pressed on the injury update on skipper Martin Odegaard, who did not feature against Spurs. He was also quizzed about Riccardo Calafiori, as well as Bukayo Saka, as he confirmed the duo were fit and available for selection for the Atalanta clash.
Arteta went on to confirm that Saka and Calafiori had trained after they were pictured doing so, speaking about the Italian briefly. Calafiori sustained a ‘freak’ injury during the international clash against France and subsequently missed Italy’s game with Israel and then the North London derby.
Arteta said, “Riccardo [Calafiori] was able to train today, so he will be available. He’s in the squad, and that’s great news because, as we all know, we’ve been quite short in the past few weeks.”
Meanwhile, every Arsenal fan was eagerly waiting on an Odegaard update, and from what Arteta said, it appears the skipper will stay on the sidelines for a while. The Arsenal boss said, “After everything was scanned, they showed that there was some damage, especially in one of the ligaments in the ankle, so we’re going to miss him. I don’t want to [put a timeframe on it] because I am not a doctor, but it is something quite significant, so we’re going to lose him for a while – hopefully not months, but let’s see.”
In terms of team selection, Arteta does have some rotational options to ponder, although he might not make that. In fact, the manager will name his strongest lineup available, which might include a few tweaks, keeping one eye on the game against Manchester City at the weekend.
David Raya will stay between the sticks, while Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhaes. Arteta could make a late decision on whether to hand Calafiori his first start for the club, as he might be thinking about managing Jurrien Timber’s fitness, considering the Dutchman missed the entirety of last season.
Jorginho might drop out of the side, as Arteta could push Kai Havertz back in midfield. The availability of Declan Rice will be a significant boost for the manager, as the England international will slot straight into the midfield setup alongside the German and Thomas Partey.
With Saka fit, he will be expected to start on the right, while Raheem Sterling could be handed his first start for the club. The centre-forward selection will be something Arteta might ponder about, with Gabriel Jesus now fit, although Leandro Trossard is also an option to consider. Arteta might go with Jesus in that role, which suits his team when Havertz plays in midfield.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Partey, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Sterling
Arsenal have a fitness boost with duo, while Martin Odegaard is set to stay sidelined with a ‘significant’ injury ahead of the Atalanta clash.
Arsenal are set to embark on their Champions League campaign with a tough away trip to Atalanta in this new format of the competition. The Gunners will come to Italy on the back of a tremendous victory over bitter-rivals Tottenham and have two more important games to manoeuvre before giving themselves some room.
During the pre-game press conference, Mikel Arteta was pressed on the injury update on skipper Martin Odegaard, who did not feature against Spurs. He was also quizzed about Riccardo Calafiori, as well as Bukayo Saka, as he confirmed the duo were fit and available for selection for the Atalanta clash.
Arteta went on to confirm that Saka and Calafiori had trained after they were pictured doing so, speaking about the Italian briefly. Calafiori sustained a ‘freak’ injury during the international clash against France and subsequently missed Italy’s game with Israel and then the North London derby.
Arteta said, “Riccardo [Calafiori] was able to train today, so he will be available. He’s in the squad, and that’s great news because, as we all know, we’ve been quite short in the past few weeks.”
Meanwhile, every Arsenal fan was eagerly waiting on an Odegaard update, and from what Arteta said, it appears the skipper will stay on the sidelines for a while. The Arsenal boss said, “After everything was scanned, they showed that there was some damage, especially in one of the ligaments in the ankle, so we’re going to miss him. I don’t want to [put a timeframe on it] because I am not a doctor, but it is something quite significant, so we’re going to lose him for a while – hopefully not months, but let’s see.”
In terms of team selection, Arteta does have some rotational options to ponder, although he might not make that. In fact, the manager will name his strongest lineup available, which might include a few tweaks, keeping one eye on the game against Manchester City at the weekend.
David Raya will stay between the sticks, while Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhaes. Arteta could make a late decision on whether to hand Calafiori his first start for the club, as he might be thinking about managing Jurrien Timber’s fitness, considering the Dutchman missed the entirety of last season.
Jorginho might drop out of the side, as Arteta could push Kai Havertz back in midfield. The availability of Declan Rice will be a significant boost for the manager, as the England international will slot straight into the midfield setup alongside the German and Thomas Partey.
With Saka fit, he will be expected to start on the right, while Raheem Sterling could be handed his first start for the club. The centre-forward selection will be something Arteta might ponder about, with Gabriel Jesus now fit, although Leandro Trossard is also an option to consider. Arteta might go with Jesus in that role, which suits his team when Havertz plays in midfield.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Partey, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Sterling