Mikel Arteta has confirmed that five Arsenal first team players will miss the club’s UEFA Champions League opener against Athletic Club in Bilbao tonight. The Gunners travel to Spain for the first phase fixture of the competition this season and will be determined to secure all three points.
Mikel Arteta’s side go into the game in the back of a convincing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at the weekend, while Athletic Club suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Alaves.
Arsenal and Bilbao will meet at the San Mames Stadium tonight, but both clubs will be forced to deal with some players being unavailable for the fixture due to injuries.
According Fabrizio Romano via his Facebook page, Mikel Arteta has named five first team players that will be unavailable for the clash against Athletic Club in the Champions League tonight due to injury. The list includes; Martin Odegaard (shoulder), Bukayo Saka (muscle), Ben White (unspecified), Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (knee). The post reads:
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the following players are OUT vs Athletic Bilbao:
Martin Ødegaard
Ben White
Kai Havertz
Gabriel Jesus
Bukayo Saka
Odegaard’s absence is a particular blow for the Gunners, with the Norwegian midfielder forced off in the first half against Forest and subsequently missing training on Monday. New signing Christian Norgaard is in contention to make his competitive debut in Spain.
Though the majority of Arteta’s team practically selects itself, the Spaniard will likely consider shuffling several players around to guarantee he has the optimal opportunity of securing consecutive victories against Athletic Club.
Softfootball understands that Athletic Bilbao will also have players unavailable for selection for the clash against Arsenal. Nico Williams has not been named in the squad to face the Gunners after suffering an adductor injury earlier this month.
Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz will both be on the sidelines for Athletic Club with knee injuries, with both players requiring surgery before being able to return to action.
The Gunners exceeded expectations in the Champions League last campaign as they reached the last four of the competition. They created numerous clear-cut chances against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final, but were not clinical enough upfront.
Arteta will aim to go all the way this time around. The club certainly have the attacking upgrade to do so compared to last season. Gunners have never faced Athletic in a competitive fixture, but they recently beat them 3-0 in the Emirates Cup, where Gyokeres scored with a powerful header, so tonight’s clash will be one to watch out for.
