Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino have returned to first-team training ahead of Wednesday’s final Champions League group stage clash with Girona.
The Gunners, currently third in the table, have effectively secured a top-eight finish after accruing 16 points from their first seven matches. However, with final rankings determining seeding, Mikel Arteta faces a decision on whether to rotate his squad.
Ødegaard missed Saturday’s hard-fought win over Wolves due to illness, while Merino was sidelined with an unspecified knock. Aside from long-term absentees Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Ben White, everyone else was present at today’s session, including Kai Havertz, who was visibly exhausted at full-time three days ago.
Arsenal will fly to Spain this evening, with Mikel Arteta set to face the media at 6pm (UK time).
Momentum is everything; so it needs to be a win.
A win would be great, 100%. But I’d be fine with a draw and top 8 if that means we come out of this match unscathed and ready to destroy Newcastle with a fully fit Odegaard, Nwaneri and everyone else who isn’t already injured.
So crucial, we are not out of that cup yet
Although I still can’t figure it out for sure, it looks to me as if there is no difference between finishing 3d or 4th in deciding your next opponent. (No difference between finishing first or second either, which is a bit odd). So that’s yet another reason not to play Havertz, Timber, and TP5, who have all been badly overworked. Maybe a half for Ødegaard and Rice. Maybe sit Saliba as well.
1000% agree. And yes thats what I gathered from UEFA’s website too, it says top 8 will be seeded but I think that just means seeded vs non seeded, not seeded 1-8. Havertz 100% should not even set food on the field, Tross as false 9 or whatever.
No, after reading it as carefully as I could, it’s clear (well, sorta clear) that placement does matter. If you are first *or * second, you play the winner of the knockout tie between the teams that finished 17th and 18th or the winner of the tie between the teams that finished 15th and 16th. The idea is that you are guaranteed a middle-of-the pack opponent. If you finish 8th, you might get lucky and play the team that finished 23d or 24th, but you also could play the teams that finished 9th or 10th. If we finish *either* 3rd… Read more »
Top 4 is the aim – that means you can’t face someone else who finishes top 4 until the semis. Beyond that it doesn’t seem to matter.
I’ll be happy with whoever the boss puts on the pitch other than Kai, too much of a risk to play him.
I also want to see a lot of subs used within the game.
We really need to rest Havertz and Timber tomorrow. Any player that will sit on the bench against Man City should start the game tomorrow. We need our best team available and fresh for the City and Newcastle game.
Does anyone else find it unsettling that we face a team owned by Man City just a few days before playing Man City?
The dead hand of financial foul play .