by Arsenal’s injury problems continued to ease ahead of their return to the Champions League, with Kieran Tierney available to play against Sporting Lisbon.
A difficult start to the season for the Gunners has come against a backdrop of constant fitness issues, but manager Mikel Arteta has seen several key players return to action in recent times, including Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard for the 3rd of Saturday. -0 win against Nottingham Forest which ended a damaging run of four Premier League matches without a win.
Martin Odegaard shone in just the influential Arsenal captain’s second start since returning from an ankle injury, while Declan Rice was also fit enough to be included in the team’s squad. day after bowing out of England duty with a knock.
With no further injuries sustained against Forest, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are now Arsenal’s only known absentees, with the former having been sidelined for months after undergoing knee surgery last week.
Tomiyasu, meanwhile, remains far from a return after missing the first two months of the season with his own knee problem, then suffering a setback after just one late substitute appearance against Southampton in early October.
While neither White nor Tomiyasu will be able to feature against Sporting as Arsenal aim for their first away Champions League win in over a year in the Portuguese capital, his compatriot Tierney is now back in lice.
The Scotland left-back has been sidelined since being stretchered off while playing for his country in their Euro 2024 group stage clash against Switzerland in Germany in June.
However, Tierney has worked hard to recover and is now available for selection, having not been deemed ready to be considered for involvement against Forest despite returning to full team training at London Colney last last week.
“Everyone in the squad is in great shape to start the game,” Arteta said when asked for a squad update during his pre-Sporting press conference which took place held at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Monday evening.
“We have Kieran Tierney with us after a long injury. It’s great news that he’s back, he’s been training with us and he’s available to participate.
Tierney’s next action for Arsenal will be his first since the Community Shield in August 2023, having been on loan at La Liga’s Real Sociedad for most of last season after flipping the defensive pecking order under Arteta.
The former Celtic favorite has not played a Premier League match since May last year, with many believing he would have left Arsenal permanently over the summer if not for his latest injury setback.
However, with Arsenal currently shorter on full-back options than they would like without White or Tomiyasu, and with Jakub Kiwior having largely failed to convince when called upon, he could still have the opportunity to stake his claim for his position . Arteta switched the versatile Jurrien Timber from left back to right back to compensate for White’s absence against Forest, with the fit-again Calafiori slotting in on the left of defence.
Arteta’s confirmation that all members of the traveling squad are fit to play is also good news for Rice, who remained an unused substitute this weekend after withdrawing from England’s recent League matches. Nations with Saka.
Arsenal’s defense will come up against an in-form striker when they take on Sporting on Tuesday, with the hosts’ attack led by Viktor Gyokeres – a player linked with Arsenal among many other Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea. .
The former Coventry frontman has scored 24 goals in just 19 appearances in all competitions so far this season for an in-form side formerly managed by new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and now under former B coach promoted Joao Pereira, including a memorable hat-trick as Manchester City were stunned 4-1 in Lisbon earlier this month.
Arteta refused to speak on Gyokeres during his press appearance ahead of Sporting, responding when asked how to stop the Sweden international: “I would like to talk about the team, the coaches and how well they have been phenomenal. The journey they are on is incredible.
“That tells you it’s not just about the quality, the setup, the ambition, but also the team energy they have. It’s a big challenge that we have tomorrow, to come here and make a statement and show that we are capable against this kind of opponent. Be ourselves and win the game.
Asked if Gyokeres sums up the modern centre-forward, Arteta only replied: “I understand the question but they have a lot of individual qualities. This is why they can win matches in different ways. And yes, in this specific position they have excellent players.
Pressed on the difficulty of the challenge Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba faced Gyokeres, he added: “Yes, for the whole team, because obviously when you look at the numbers they are producing in the domestic league and in the Champions League at home, where they won every game and always scored at least one goal, this is something we really need to avoid.
“So we’re going to have to be really consistent and effective to try to prevent that from happening.”
