Arsenal missing four players during training as preparations ramp up for Champions League decider
Arsenal were without four players in their first-team training session on Monday ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid
Jurrien Timber suffered an injury during Arsenal's Premier League clash vs Everton. -Credit:Alex Pantling, Getty Images Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino, and Jurrien Timber were all absent from Arsenal's first-team training session on Monday ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. Mikel Arteta's squad took part in an open training session as they prepared for the second leg of their semi-final showdown against the Spanish side.
The four players were among the notable absentees, strongly indicating they will be unavailable for Tuesday's game in North London. The tie remains finely poised following a 1-1 draw in Madrid in the first leg, though the Gunners will feel aggrieved at failing to secure an advantage after a late penalty for a foul on Eberechi Eze was overturned. Arsenal head into the match on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Fulham at the weekend, with Odegaard, Havertz, Merino, and Timber all ruled out of the victory against the Cottagers, as per The Mirror .
New Jersey Governor calls out FIFA over eye-watering World Cup train fares New Jersey officials confirm eye-watering World Cup train prices after Governor's FIFA criticism Along with Timber, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz were also not spotted training -Credit:2026 Getty Images There was some confusion last week ahead of the first leg, with Arteta suggesting that Merino had traveled with the squad to Madrid, before walking back those comments in his pre-match press conference. The prospect of having Dutch international Timber back in the matchday squad would have been a major boost, but he was once again absent from training. Speaking ahead of the game against Fulham, Arteta said: "Let's see how everybody is tomorrow morning.
Obviously, we haven't been able to train much, so tomorrow we will have a final update. Kai and Jurrien will be out. " Arteta is scheduled to face the media on Monday, where he is anticipated to deliver a fresh injury update on the players who missed the weekend's fixture and training sessions.