Though Arsenal are expected to have a warm weather training camp in Dubai in January, they won’t play any public friendlies and their trip could still be cancelled.

In November, the Evening Standard reported that Arsenal were looking at the possibility of heading to Dubai for warm-weather training in January.

Arsenal Fixture News reports that the club are indeed expecting to undertake the warm-weather camp in January, but it will depend on whether the FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool goes to a replay.

The Gunners are set to host Liverpool in the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium on January 7th, before going on their winter break until their next Premier League fixture on January 20th.

But if Arsenal are required to play a replay, that would cut into that break and potentially rule out the Dubai trip.

Arsenal Fixture News also highlight that there will be no public matches played by Arsenal whilst in Dubai, as per the Premier League rules for the winter break.

Arsenal have previously played friendlies in Dubai, but that won’t be the case this time around.

The winter break being used as a training camp is perhaps not quite what the footballing authorities intended, but it’s become the norm for most top teams.

The lack of any competitive football and the break from the cold weather in England should still allow the squad to relax a little before their return to action later in the month.