Football London has provided significant updates on Arsenal’s squad situation before their upcoming Champions League match against Atalanta.
On the morning of September 20, Arsenal will travel to Italy for their first Champions League game of the 2024/25 season against Atalanta. The Gunners recently returned to training following their victory in the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Sources reveal that at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, the club welcomed back defender Riccardo Calafiori, who had been sidelined due to injury while on international duty with Italy and missed the match against Tottenham.
Fans can also breathe a sigh of relief regarding forward Bukayo Saka, who raised injury concerns after leaving the field early in the North London Derby. The England star was seen fully participating in training with his teammates.
However, Arsenal is likely to be without five key players for the trip to Bergamo: Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney, all of whom are dealing with various health issues and have not yet returned to training.
Coach Mikel Arteta is expected to include young talents from the Hale End academy—Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Zane Monlouis, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, and Josh Robinson—in the matchday squad.
In addition to Atalanta, Arsenal will face Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, AS Monaco, Dinamo Zagreb, and Girona in this season’s Champions League.