Mikel Arteta has been preparing his Arsenal players on the London Colney training pitches for Wednesday's Premier League clash against Manchester United. Having won their last three games and scored 13 goals in the process, the Gunners appear back to their best after a recent dip in form.
After beating Nottingham Forest 3-0, Arteta's side put five past both Sporting CP and West Ham United. Based on that, Arsenal are entering the huge clash in great form but United have also built up momentum under new boss Ruben Amorim.
Injury issues could potentially decide the outcome of the fixture however, with Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey as doubts having both missed the weekend's win. Gabriel Magalhaes, meanwhile, was subbed off at half time against West Ham with a recurring injury and may now not feature at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
With that being said, football.london has pulled together all the important things spotted from Tuesday's training session pictures which includes some key injury updates.
Gabriel injury update
Though hardly a surprise, there was no sign of Gabriel, Partey or Merino in the latest images captured and uploaded to the club's official website. "We're gonna have a meeting this afternoon," Arteta revealed when asked for the latest on injuries. "We have done a training session.
"We monitored and kept some players away from certain activities. After that meeting I will decide which ones are fit and available and who will start." Given his importance, the magnitude of the game and the fact he has started 41 consecutive Premier League games, Gabriel missing out appears unlikely.
Nwaneri hint
Given the quick turnaround from the weekend's game, Arteta making changes to his starting XI is entirely possible. The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus will all be pushing for returns but it could be Ethan Nwaneri that is handed an opportunity.
From the pictures taken in training, Nwaneri is not wearing a bib for the small-sided games with it clear Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz are on his team. Leandro Trossard however, is wearing an orange one which suggests he could be on the bench to make way for Martinelli's return.
Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal during a training session
Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal during a training session (Image: (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
However, the form of Martin Odegaard makes it hard to imagine Nwaneri would come into the team given he would likely be the replacement, unless Arteta opts for a very attacking midfield. It is also worth noting that the majority of first-team stars are not wearing bibs while the academy players are.
Saka joy
Free of injury and in great form, it is easy to understand why Saka is all smiles. Against the Hammers on Saturday evening, Saka repeated his feat and went one better from the previous weekend as he picked two assists and another goal. He also won the penalty that was converted by Odegaard.
While sitting on a ball watching something intently, Saka can be seen with a beaming grin on his face before he then appears to break out into a laugh.
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