Arsenal s first Champions League match, three generals missed the joint training, Arteta still has room for rotation

In the early morning of September 17, Arsenal will usher in a key battle against Athletic Bilbao in the first round of the Champions League group stage. In the last training session before the game, unfavorable news came from Arsenal's camp: Havertz, Saka and captain Odgao did not participate in the team's joint training.

Since the start of this season, Arsenal has been plagued by injuries. Havertz underwent knee surgery after appearing on the bench in the opening game, while Saka and Odgao left the court with injuries in August. Defence back-back William Saliba retired after only five minutes of injury against Liverpool before international matches in September, while Odge was injured again last week against Nottingham Forest.

Arteta confirmed last weekend that captain Odgao suffered the same shoulder injury as last month. The possibility of his usual full-time captain playing in the first round of the Champions League has been questioned after he missed public training on Monday. Saka will continue to receive treatment with Havertz, while Saliba's recovery is more optimistic. The centre-back's ankle sprain has recovered to be able to participate in team-wide training, but considering the focus of the weekend with Manchester City, it is still unknown whether Arteta will take risks and send him on the stage.

Norgao, who joined Brentford this summer, has resumed training, but given Suvimenti's stable performance in the midfield, the team is not in a hurry to get the Danish international back. It is worth mentioning that Arteta has paid the price for excessive use of main players many times in the past.

Rice received a chance to take a rotation break last weekend, and the England international was placed on the bench after international matches. Even with Ode's high injury, Arteta still insisted on using 18-year-old player Envanelli instead of replacing Rice.

According to the current situation, Envanelli is expected to win a starting opportunity in the Champions League. Other options include deploying Eze in the midfield, allowing Martinelli to return to the left, or forming a three-midfield configuration for Rice, Suvimenti and Mikel Merino. Compared with the past, Arteta now has more choices in placing troops.