Arteta receives injury boost as Saliba, Trossard, Calafiori return to Arsenal training

Manager of Arsenal F.C., Mikel Arteta, has been handed a major fitness boost ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash against Bayer Leverkusen.

Three key players—William Saliba, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori—were all spotted participating in training with the squad on Tuesday morning, raising hopes that they could feature in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie.

Saliba had missed Arsenal’s last two matches against Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and Mansfield Town F.C. due to an ankle injury. The French defender suffered the setback during Arsenal’s 2–1 victory over Chelsea F.C. earlier this month.

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Meanwhile, Calafiori and Trossard were forced off the pitch after sustaining knocks during Arsenal’s 2–1 win over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round. Their return to training will come as a relief to Arteta as he prepares his squad for the crucial European encounter.

However, there are still concerns over the availability of Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard and defender Ben White. Both players were absent from Tuesday’s training session, raising doubts about their fitness ahead of the Champions League fixture.

Arsenal will be hoping to have as many key players available as possible as they aim to secure a strong result in the first leg against Bayer Leverkusen in their quest for progress in Europe’s elite club competition.