Mikel Arteta left sweating on Declan Rice as THREE Arsenal stars miss training
Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba were all absent from Arsenal's open training session ahead of their Champions League trip to Club Brugge.
The Gunners are looking to make it six wins from six in Europe when they take on the Belgian side, who have just parted ways with manager Nicky Hayen following three defeats in four league matches. However, it seems Arsenal's squad could be weakened for the journey across the Channel, with Mikel Arteta facing late fitness decisions on both Rice and Trossard.
It's understood the pair were working indoors whilst their teammates trained on the pitch, and Arteta will need to determine whether the duo will make the trip.
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Given Arsenal are already on the verge of securing a top-eight finish, the Gunners aren't under significant pressure to win the fixture, as they still face Inter Milan and Kairat Almaty before the group stage concludes, reports Football London. Nevertheless, they won't want to slip up, so we can still expect Arteta to name a strong XI despite anticipated changes.
Saliba has now missed Arsenal's last three matches with what Arteta described as a "knock" following the 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
The Frenchman will apparently not be ready to face Brugge, even though Arteta recently stressed that the centre-back was just "days away" from returning to fitness. Arsenal's training session on Tuesday afternoon saw the inclusion of several young talents, with Josh Nichols, Louie Copley, Marli Salmon and Marcell Washington all taking part.
Copley leads Arsenal's U21s, while Nichols and Salmon both participated in the club's pre-season tour of Asia over the summer. Salmon is vying for a spot against Brugge after being listed as a substitute in the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last weekend. He is held in high regard within the club and is part of Arsenal's UEFA B List squad.
Fans will get an idea of whether any of these youngsters will feature in Bruges on Wednesday afternoon when the U19s lineup is announced ahead of their UEFA Youth League clash against Brugge.
Arsenal are currently short-staffed in central defence with Gabriel Magalhaes, Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera all out due to injury.