September 18th 2024.
On a chilly Thursday night, Arsenal will be facing off against Atalanta in the Champions League. The team's manager, Mikel Arteta, has made it clear that he has no intention of rotating his players for this crucial match, despite a tough game against Manchester City coming up this weekend.
This will be the Gunners' first game in the new league phase of the Champions League, with a total of eight games to play until January. However, their focus will quickly shift back to the Premier League, with a highly anticipated match against Manchester City on Sunday.
Arteta's squad is already feeling the strain, as seen in their last game against Tottenham where they had to play without two key midfielders and new signing Mikel Merino. The only player who has managed to play every minute of the season so far is Thomas Partey, along with the reliable defensive trio of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, and William Saliba. Up front, Kai Havertz has also been a constant presence.
There were some concerns about Bukayo Saka, who had to be taken off during the Tottenham game due to cramps. However, the young winger has since returned to training and is available for Thursday's game against Atalanta.
Despite the busy schedule and the important match against Manchester City on the horizon, Arteta has stated that he has no plans to make major changes to the team. He firmly believes in choosing the best players for each game, and that is his main focus.
On the other hand, Manchester City will have an extra day of rest, as they will be playing against Inter Milan on Wednesday night. When asked if this could be a disadvantage for Arsenal, Arteta remains optimistic. He believes that the team has a lot of energy from their recent win against Tottenham, and they have also regained some key players from injury. Plus, they are excited to be playing in a competition they love, so they are focusing on the positive aspects.
In addition to Saka, Arsenal also have Riccardo Calafiori back in the squad after recovering from a recent knock. However, there is some unfortunate news for the team as Martin Odegaard will be out for some time due to a significant ankle ligament injury. Despite this setback, Arsenal remains determined and focused on their upcoming matches, and fans can expect to see them giving their all on the field.
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