Arsenal’s injury picture looks more encouraging than feared before Atletico Madrid, with several key players involved in open training ahead of the semi-final first leg.
Against Newcastle, Arsenal lost both Kai Havertz and Ebere Eze to injury while Gabriel Martinelli was seen fussing with his hamstring.
It looked ominous with Atletico Madrid on the horizon.
However, at Arsenal’s open training session both Eze and Martinelli were with the group.
Riccardo Calafiori, who has missed the last four games, was also spotted.
Havertz, however, was not, but there is optimism the groin problem he picked up will not keep him out for long.
There was also still no sign of Jurrien Timber and, at his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta confirmed that he is not ready to rejoin the squad.
“We don’t know yet [when Timber will be back],” Arteta said. “He is doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment. He needs to do some more things before he can compete with us.
“Kai is out,” Arteta also said. “Ebs is ready to go.”
Calafiori, too.
Bukayo Saka, who returned against Newcastle from his own injury problems has thankfully not suffered any negative effects.
Mikel Merino is, as we know, out and unlikely to return before the end of the season with Spanish reports consistent in claiming his World Cup is in doubt. Merino himself, however, is hopeful he can return before the end of May, although it does sound more like wishful thinking on his part, sadly.
“It’s hard when you’re not even training,” he told Arseblog. “When you don’t smell the grass, you don’t feel as a footballer anymore. And that’s what you’re born to do, play football.
“So it’s very hard. And my injury is one that you have to be very careful with. So we just [go] step by step. Listening to my body is the main thing, listening to it and see if we’re going at the right pace or we can maybe go faster.
“That’s the aim [to return soon]. Hopefully, at the end of the season, I can maybe share the pitch with my teammates, hopefully.”
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