Alarm bells at Alvalade! Arteta gets major boost before Arsenal - Sporting | OneFootball

Arsenal returned to training two days after the win in Alvalade, and Mikel Arteta received some positive news ahead of the second leg against Sporting: Eberechi Eze was back working without restrictions. The England international had initially been ruled out of the tie, but could now still be an option for the decisive match next Wednesday.

Signed from Crystal Palace in the summer, the attacking midfielder recovered sooner than expected from a calf injury suffered before the international break. There were fears he could be out for up to six weeks, but the player took part in the full session, raising hopes that he could be included among the options against the Lions.

It is still not certain whether Eze will already be available for the Premier League clash with Bournemouth. However, his return opens the door to his use both against Sporting and in the away trip to Manchester City, scheduled for the following week, at a decisive moment in the Gunners' season.

Despite the good news, Arsenal’s injury list continues to worry Arteta. Martin Odegaard, who went off injured against Sporting, missed training, as did Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié. Of these, only the Italian defender started the match played in Alvalade.

According to the English press, Calafiori’s absence was merely precautionary, after he completed the full 90 minutes against Sporting. Saka, meanwhile, has not played since the League Cup final, while Hincapié is said to have picked up an injury while on international duty.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.