Why Arsenal did not name Ethan Nwaneri in Champions League squad but forgotten man Kieran Tierney made cut

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Evening Standard

·5 settembre 2024

Why Arsenal did not name Ethan Nwaneri in Champions League squad but forgotten man Kieran Tierney made cut

Tierney continues to battle hamstring injury after Euro 2024 frustration

Kieran Tierney has been named in Arsenal’s squad for the Champions League, along with the club’s four summer signings.

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The Gunners will face eight teams in the competition’s new format, with the top eight of 36 teams going straight through to the last-16, and those finishing between ninth and 24th qualifying for an extra knockout round.

Arsenal begin their campaign away to Atalanta, in between Premier League matches against Tottenham and Manchester City, before hosting PSG and Shakhtar Donetsk in October.

Mikel Arteta’s side then face two more tricky trips, travelling to face Inter Milan and Sporting, with Monaco’s visit to north London the final European match before Christmas.

Arsenal end the league phase by hosting Dinamo Zagreb, before they are away to Girona a week later.

New signings Neto, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling have all been included in the Gunners’ squad, though Merino is likely to miss at least the first two Champions League matches with a shoulder injury.

Mikel Merino faces a frustrating wait for his Arsenal debut

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Tierney has also made the cut, though it remains to be seen whether he becomes a serious part of Arteta’s first-team plans.

The left-back spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and appeared likely to leave Arsenal this summer, but he suffered a serious hamstring injury at Euro 2024 and remains on the sidelines.

The likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have not been named in the squad, but they are expected to feature on List B for U21 players.

Clubs can selected an unlimited number of players on that list during the season, and it can be updated ahead of each fixture.

As per UEFA regulations: “A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 2003 and has, since his 15th birthday, been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year.”

Arsenal’s senior Champions League squad:

Goalkeepers: David Raya, Neto, Tommy Setford

Defenders: William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori

Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Mikel Merino, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling

Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli