Gironavs.Arsenal

Neither lynchpin was available for the weekend's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Arsenal survived a first-half Myles Lewis-Skelly red card and triumphed 1-0 thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori effort.

Arteta confirmed that captain Odegaard had woken up ill on the morning of the match, and the former Real Madrid starlet was "nowhere near" in the right condition to take part in the Molineux match.

Meanwhile, Spain international Merino had picked up a fresh knock in training during the week, although Arteta did not infer that either man would be sidelined for a prolonged period of time.

Ahead of their flight to Spain later on Tuesday, Arsenal held a customary open training session in the morning, where both Merino and Odegaard were seen emerging onto the London Colney pitches.

Merino, Odegaard on track to be fit for Girona clash

The pair are therefore seemingly on track to be fit for Arsenal's final Champions League league phase game, although Arteta will give a firm update in his press conference later this evening.

In addition, centre-forward Kai Havertz was involved in the session, despite looking worse for wear at the end of the win over Wolves, where Lewis-Skelly was the recipient of an incredibly controversial first-half red card.

However, as the 18-year-old's three-game suspension for serious foul play only applies to domestic matches, he will be fine to feature for the Gunners in midweek, where they need just a point to be sure of a top-eight finish and a spot in the last 16.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu (both knee) seem set to miss out again, though, as neither right-back was spotted in the training session, while Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (knee) are months away from returning.

Arsenal sit third in the Champions League league phase table with 16 points from their first seven matches, most recently strolling to a 3-0 triumph over Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb on the penultimate matchday.

What changes might Arteta make against Girona?

While Arsenal are all but through to the last 16, hosts Girona have already been condemned to an early exit from the Champions League, having lost six of their first seven matches in the 2024-25 edition.

Arteta should still not be expected to make sweeping changes to his first XI, but a few fringe players should be afforded a rare chance in the first XI, especially with Manchester City to come in the Premier League on Sunday.

Left-sided centre-back Jakub Kiwior and midfield anchor Jorginho are among the chief candidates for promotion from the bench, as is Calafiori after his match-winning goal at the weekend.

However, Arteta may stick with Lewis-Skelly for now before he begins his domestic suspension, as fellow left-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are both being linked with moves away.

Should the Gunners boss also feel that Havertz is due a rest, either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard could act as a makeshift centre-forward at Montilivi.

Written by

Ben Knapton