Arsenal: Declan Rice and Kieran Tierney fit for Sporting test as Mikel Arteta faces Viktor Gyokeres questions

A hard commencement to the play for the Gunners has played retired against the backdrop of changeless fittingness issues, but manager Mikel Arteta has seen respective cardinal players instrumentality to enactment of precocious - including the likes of Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard for Saturday’s 3-0 triumph implicit Nottingham Forest that ended a damaging tally of 4 Premier League matches without a victory.

Martin Odegaard shone successful that fixture successful the Arsenal captain’s 2nd commencement since returning from an ankle injury, portion Declan Rice was besides acceptable capable to beryllium included successful the matchday squad aft withdrawing from England work with a knock.

With nary further injuries suffered against Forest, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are present Arsenal’s lone known absentees, with the erstwhile acceptable for months connected the sidelines aft undergoing a genu cognition past week.

Tomiyasu, meanwhile, remains immoderate mode disconnected a instrumentality having missed the archetypal 2 months of the play with his ain genu contented and past suffered a setback pursuing conscionable 1 precocious substitute cameo against Southampton successful aboriginal October.

The Scotland left-back has been sidelined ever since being stretchered disconnected portion playing for his state successful their Euro 2024 radical clash with Switzerland backmost successful June.

However, Tierney has been moving hard connected his betterment and is present disposable for selection, having been deemed not acceptable to beryllium considered for engagement against Forest contempt returning to afloat squad grooming astatine London Colney.

“Everyone who is successful the squad is afloat acceptable to commencement the game,” Arteta said erstwhile asked for a squad quality update during his pre-Sporting property league astatine the Estadio Jose Alvalade connected Monday night.

“We person Kieran Tierney with america aft a agelong injury. It’s large quality that helium is back, he’s been grooming with america and helium is disposable to participate.”

Tierney’s adjacent enactment for Arsenal volition beryllium his archetypal since the Community Shield successful August 2023, having been sent retired connected indebtedness to LaLiga broadside Real Sociedad for the bulk of past play aft tumbling down the antiaircraft pecking bid nether Arteta.

The erstwhile Celtic favourite has not played a Premier League crippled since May of past year, with galore believing that helium would person near Arsenal connected a imperishable ground implicit the summertime were it not for his latest wounded setback.

However, with Arsenal presently shorter connected full-back options with nary White oregon Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior having mostly failed to convince, helium whitethorn yet get an accidental to involvement his claim. Arteta switched the versatile Jurrien Timber from left-back to right-back to screen for the lack of White against Forest, with the fit-again Calafiori slotting successful connected the left.

Arteta’s confirmation of everyone successful the travelling squad being acceptable to play is besides bully quality for Rice, who remained an unused substitute astatine the play aft pulling retired of England’s Nations League games on with Saka.

Arsenal’s defence volition travel up against a striker successful red-hot signifier erstwhile they instrumentality connected Sporting connected Tuesday, with the hosts’ onslaught led by Viktor Gyokeres - a subordinate linked with Arsenal among a full big of different Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea.

The erstwhile Coventry frontman has notched 24 goals successful conscionable 19 appearances crossed each competitions truthful acold this word for a squad formerly managed by caller Manchester United brag Ruben Amorim and present nether the enactment of Joao Pereira, including a memorable hat-trick arsenic Manchester City were stunned 4-1 successful Lisbon earlier this month.

Arteta refused to beryllium drawn connected Gyokeres during his pre-Sporting property appearance, responding erstwhile asked however to halt the Swedish international: “I would similar to speech astir the team, astir the coaches and however phenomenal they person been. The tally they are successful is incredible.

“That tells you that it is not lone the quality, the setup, the ambition, it is thing astir the squad vigor that they have. That is simply a large situation that we person tomorrow, to travel present and marque a connection and amusement we are susceptible against this benignant of opponent. Be ourselves and triumph the game.”

Asked if Gyokeres was the perfect modern centre-forward, Arteta said only: “I recognize the question but they person a batch of idiosyncratic qualities. That’s wherefore they tin triumph games successful assorted ways. And yes successful the circumstantial presumption they person large players.”

Pressed connected however pugnacious a situation Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba had coming up against Gyokeres, helium added: “Yeah for the full squad due to the fact that evidently erstwhile you look astatine the numbers, they nutrient successful the home league and the Champions League astatine home, wherever they person won each crippled and scored ever astatine slightest a goal, is thing that we person to truly avoid.

“So we’re going to person to beryllium truly accordant and businesslike to effort to forestall that from happening.”