1 day Ago By Simon Collings
Arsenal have tonight been boosted by the return of Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori for their Champions League opener against Atalanta . The pair missed Sunday’s north London derby win over Tottenham, with Calafiori injured and Rice suspended. Calafiori has recovered from the calf injury he picked up on international duty with Italy earlier this month and trained on Wednesday morning .
Rice has served his one-match domestic suspension after being sent off against Brighton at the end of last month. Arsenal have been further boosted after Bukayo Saka trained on Wednesday morning. The winger limped off during the win over Spurs, but that was due to cramp.
However, captain Martin Odegaard is facing an extended period out of action after damaging ligaments to his ankle . Kieran Tierney, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent as well due to injuries. The Gunners have a tight turnaround from their game in Italy on Thursday to their showdown with Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
As a result, Mikel Arteta may look to make changes to the team that beat Tottenham last week. Jurrien Timber, who missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, could come out of the side and Jakub Kiwior may be handed a start at left-back. Thomas Partey could also be handed a rest ahead of the game at City, while Gabriel Jesus is pushing to start up front after returning from a groin injury.
Arsenal predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Havertz, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli Doubts: Calafiori (fitness) Injuries: Merino (shoulder), Odegaard (ankle), Tierney (knee) Tomiyasu (knee), Zinchenko (calf) Time and date: 8pm BST on Thursday, September 19, 2024 Venue: Gewiss Stadium TV channel: TNT Sports Referee: Clement Turpin.
