Four things we spotted from Arsenal training session including mixed injury news (original) (raw)
Four things noticed from Arsenal training with mixed injury news for pivotal three days
Arsenal get their Champions League campaign underway against Atalanta on Thursday evening and trained at the London Colney base on Wednesday ahead of making the trip to Italy
Gabriel Jesus plays a pass as William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli close in
The season returns to full flow with the beginning of the Champions League and it's new format.
Arsenal make their first foray into the competition on Thursday evening when they make the trip to face Atalanta. The match against their Serie A opposition will mark the first of eight different rivals they will meet within the group stage.
Wednesday saw the north London side make their final preparations at their London Colney training base before making the journey to Italy. With a small section of training available to the media, hints are able to be gleaned about what Arsenal could be preparing.
Arsenalwillhave a short turnaround before taking on Manchester City on Sunday too. Mirror Football takes a look at what could be gleaned from the Gunners' open session ahead of their first European fixture of 2024/25.
Injury boosts
A sigh of a relief will have been quickly offered by any onlookers of an Arsenal persuasion as Bukayo Saka emerged for training. The England star limped off during the Gunners North London Derby win over Tottenham but now looks to be available to face Atalanta.
The 23-year-old could be seen alongside Riccardo Calafiori, who missed Arsenal's victory over Spurs entirely. The Italian summer signing appeared in good spirits as he returns from a calf injury and will hope to be involved against familiar opposition following his move from Bologna.
Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal arrives for training (
Image:
Julian Finney)
Bukayo Saka and RIccardo Calafiori of Arsenal during a training session (
Image:
Stuart MacFarlane)
Absentees
Martin Odegaard may have been present for the squad photograph but looks set to be out of Arsenal's opening Champions League clash. Arsenal's captain picked up an injury during international duty and missed his side's match against Tottenham and appears set to miss another.
The likes of Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu were also absent from the training pitch. Euro 2024 champion Merino was pictured without a sling during the club's annual photograph but is still not expected back until next month.
Youngsters involved
With a number of injuries and Arteta not leading the deepest squad, a number of youngsters were also present for the season. It is perhaps little surprise to see Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly involved in the session given the involvment in first team training already this season.
They could be seen in coversation with Saka on the training fields. Certainly not a bad mentor to have for the 17-year-old pair. Nwaneri was even able to show his talent and leave Declan Rice clutching at his bib during one drill.
They were also joined by Zane Monlouis, 20, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, 21, Josh Robinson, 19, and Cam’ron Ismail, 17. Goalkeepers also included Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko, 18, and Jack Porter, 16.
Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka and Myle Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal during a training session (
Image:
Stuart MacFarlane)
Declan Rice and Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal during a training session (
Image:
Stuart MacFarlane)
Martinelli shows his Italian roots
While it is easy to think Calafiori and Jorginho are along among Arsenal's stars in returning to their homeland, Martinelli of course has Italian roots. The Brazil international hold dual citzenship despite growing up in South America, due to his father's Italian descent.
The young forward sent a reminder to his teammates during training on Wednesday and perhaps in jest, wanted to prove his connection to Bel Paese to his new teammate. After a playful slap from Calafiori, Martinelli fired back with a stereotypical Italian hand gesture towards the defender's face.
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Prime Video is broadcasting one Champions League game every game week free for Amazon Prime members. Arsenal's upcoming fixtures include Shakhtar Donetsk on October 22, which is free for Prime members or those signing up for a 30-day free trial.
Every Champions League and Europa League game is also available on TNT Sports via Prime Video’s Discovery+ channel.