Arsenal injury information as Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka both return in impressive fashion for the Gunners, although Martin Odegaard is questioned by some supporters.
Mikel Arteta’s team is once more feeling the strain as Arsenal prepares for their second away match in as many days, a match that is just as crucial as the first. The season is picking up steam with three points from their first two Champions League games and back-to-back games against the team with the most difficult opponent on paper.
For the coach and his players, it hasn’t been an easy transition back from international duty; several have traveled extensively from South America simply to get back and prepare for a trip to Spain the next day. It’s a crucial time for the team as they balance the pressure of competing for the top of the league with their growing responsibilities in Europe.
Fortunately, Arteta was able to use an almost totally healthy squad against Chelsea even though certain players were under pressure. Bukayo Saka started his first game following the loss to RC Lens over three weeks ago after taking the fortnight off. Although not at his best, Saka was mainly kept in check on the right by Marc Cucurella before he came up with a crucial assist to tie the game.
He is expected to be fit for the upcoming urgent need, but with such high expectations on him, he will need to be carefully handled. One advantage for Saka has been that Arteta has more options in attack this season, as Leandro Trossard demonstrated by scoring at Stamford Bridge after coming off the bench.
After being dropped from the Belgium team, he had another injury doubt of his own. The winger was cleared to travel to Chelsea once more, though, and proved his value with yet another strong performance, perhaps winning a spot in the starting XI against Sevilla.
There was a surprising absence for midfielder Fabio Vieira, who is currently the only long-term problem for Arsenal to manage outside of Jurrien Timber. The Portuguese star was not included in the squad for the meeting at SW6, the first time in 20 matchdays for a league game this year.
