According to Petr Cech, it’ll take more than dodgy stomachs to derail Arsenal’s pre-season tour.

  • Several Arsenal players affected by ‘mild’ stomach bug
  • Cech claims focus on hydration and rest
  • Goalkeeper believes pre-season has been positive so far

Cech insists that while it’s important to keep hydrated while on pre-season tour in such warm conditions, the tests that the Arsenal squad have faced in Australia and China have been welcome ones.

“We need to find a way to keep hydrated and you need to rest as well,” the 35-year-old said. “The more you go on tours the more people know what to expect, so we are ready for it.

“We’ve still got a few weeks and many games to play but I think we are on a good way because you can see the players getting fitter and stronger.

“It was very hot and humid and we had a really strong week of training.

“We’ve done double sessions here in China and we keep training because the main purpose is to get fit.”

Several players have been struck down in the prime of life by a mystery stomach mug, which the Arsenal medics claim is ‘mild’.

Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud were both ruled out of Arsenal’s clash against Bayern Munich in Shanghai, while Sead Kolasinac had to be subbed off during the match after getting sick on the pitch.

Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey have also suffered with the bug initially attributed to food poisoning. However, it’s good to hear from Cech that this isn’t having a hugely negative affect on the squad.