Riccardo Calafiori is not yet making his highly anticipated debut for Arsenal in their friendly against Bayer Leverkusen tonight. However, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba, and David Raya are included in the squad.
After spending some time in the USA for pre-season matches against Bournemouth, Manchester United, and Liverpool, the Gunners have returned to the UK for the final two weeks of their pre-season schedule.
Despite being available for the Liverpool match, head coach Mikel Arteta decided not to immediately involve Calafiori.
The Italian defender has since undergone another week of training with his new teammates but is still deemed unprepared for tonight’s game.
Jurrien Timber, like Calafiori, is not participating tonight. The club is taking a cautious approach with Timber following his injury issues last season.
The returning players from Euro 2024, including Saka, Rice, Saliba, Aaron Ramsdale, and Raya, have rejoined training after being granted some time off. Of these, Saliba and Raya are starting tonight, while Saka, Rice, and Ramsdale are on the bench.
During the US tour, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus showcased strong performances. This evening, Martinelli is on the bench, and Jesus is leading the attack.
Arsenal’s starting lineup against Bayer Leverkusen consists of: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Jorginho, Havertz, Vieira, Jesus, and Trossard. The substitutes are Ramsdale, Setford, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Partey, Rice, Nelson, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, and Nketiah.
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