Mikel Arteta may be the envy of many managers right now, as he has a nearly complete Arsenal first-team squad to choose from for the London derby against Chelsea this evening (Saturday).
However, Arteta still needs to do some checks as he hasn’t seen 14 of his senior players for much of the past two weeks due to the international break. He revealed that the situation would become clearer after the training session at London Colney.
“Not a lot,” Arteta told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Friday morning when asked for the latest Arsenal team news. “We haven’t had a lot of players. We’re going to do our first training session today, and we’ll know more after the session.”
If all 14 players have returned from international duty unscathed and there aren’t any fresh injury concerns, Arteta will be able to name an unchanged squad from the win over Manchester City almost two weeks ago. This will include William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, who did not go away with France and Belgium, respectively.
Meanwhile, the hope is that Bukayo Saka will, once again, be available for selection too. The winger missed the 1-0 win over the champions with a hamstring problem and subsequently withdrew from the England squad for their double-header against Australia and Italy.
Without confirming that the Arsenal number seven will return for the trip to Stamford Bridge, Arteta did reveal that the winger has been working hard to be in contention: “I’m sure he wants to play, yes,” the Spanish tactician added. “He’s been working so hard to be fit for this game. So let’s see where he’s at today.”
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Now, if Saka is fit enough to face Chelsea, then Arteta has three options to consider. Does he give the 22-year-old an immediate recall to the starting lineup, name him among the substitutes, or choose not to risk him and leave him out of the matchday squad altogether?
History suggests that if the England international has recovered from the hamstring injury, then one way or another, he will be involved for Arsenal against the Blues. But a return would come at the expense of one teammate, as Premier League rules permit Arteta to name a 20-man matchday squad for the game.
As a forward, it’s safe to assume Saka replaces another forward, which indicates Reiss Nelson is perhaps most at risk of dropping out unless Trossard, for example, is forced to miss out due to injury. But whoever is ultimately chosen to miss out won’t be alone in doing so.
With a maximum of nine substitutes allowed, at least four more Arsenal first-team stars will have to cheer on their teammates from home, provided no fresh injury concerns emerge between now and 4.30pm this afternoon (Saturday).
Of course, Jurrien Timber is a long-term absentee, Karl Hein is unlikely to feature, as it is unusual for two goalkeepers to be named on the bench for a Premier League game, while Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares did not make the squad against Man City. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the same quartet miss out again.
Michael Johnson is your soccer guru, providing extensive coverage of soccer. With a global perspective, he delivers match reports, player interviews, and insights into the beautiful game, ensuring readers stay connected to the world of soccer.
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