Arsenal have named 28 players from their 30-man travelling group in their matchday squad to face AC Milan, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber missing out.
Arsenal named their first official pre-season squad of their Asia tour on Wednesday morning, with 11 starters and 17 players on the bench.
That meant two absentees from the travelling gropu of 30 players – Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber.
Timber was the less surprising absence of the two, as he’s yet to return to full training. The defender is still working on his recovery from ankle surgery, and Tom Canton reports for Football.London that he’s working to get back as soon as possible.
But Gabriel has already returned to the pitch in pre-season, playing 45 minutes in the friendly match against Watford over the weekend.
Arsenal write that he’s been left out “as he continues his rehab from last season’s hamstring injury”, suggesting he’s not yet ready for multiple matches in a matter of days.
Mikel Arteta told a press conference this week that Gabriel “looks in good shape”, so perhaps he’ll be back involved against Newcastle United on Sunday.
Arsenal lineup vs AC Milan
Raya, White, Saliba, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Norgaard, Rice, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz
Substitutes
Arrizabalaga, Setford, Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Salmon, Nichols, Kiwior, Copley, Merino, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Kabia, Nelson, Trossard, Odegaard, Harriman-Annous, Dowman
Arsenal pre-season schedule
- Saturday, July 19th – Arsenal 2-0 Watford
- Wednesday, July 23rd, 12:30 – Arsenal vs AC Milan
- Sunday, July 27th, 12:30 – Arsenal vs Newcastle United
- Thursday, July 31st, 12:30 – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Wednesday, August 6th, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Villarreal CF
- Saturday, August 9th, 17:00 – Arsenal vs Athletic Club
Times in BST