Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta met the media yesterday, and during his session he revealed that summer signings Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa could both make their Premier League debuts for their new club on Monday.
Given that the opponent on Monday is Aston Villa, this match is even more significant for the latter.
Arsenal at Aston Villa FC FYIs
Kickoff: Monday Aug. 31 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News: Arsenal Aston Villa
Transfer Window Updates: Arsenal Aston Villa
PL Form: Arsenal W Aston Villa L
PL Standing: Arsenal 1st, 3 pts, Aston Villa FC 19th, 0 pts, +3 GD
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 63% Aston Villa win 15% Draw 22%
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal signed Konsa from Villa, just last week, so you got to love the coincidence here. This will most certainly be a top storyline for this match.
Arteta provided a fitness update, regarding Guimaraes on Thursday: “We just managed the last few days with him. He’s out on the pitch. He’s been doing training sessions. But we need to manage his load to get to Monday in the best possible condition to be able to get selected.”
Guimaraes, who has been dealing with a thigh strain, is basically 50/50 to play on Monday night. Moving on to Timber and his groin injury, he’s getting closer, but he’s still a couple weeks away from featuring.
“Jurrien is progressing really well,” Arteta said.
“Let’s see how he ends up this week. It’s the third week in a row that he’s been outside, and we have increased his load. So he’s on the right trajectory. If everything goes well, I think next week we’re going to step it up again.”
And then finally, William Saliba of course remains out for the long haul, as he continues recovering from back surgery. Arteta did provide a brief, surface level update however, saying:
“Wilo, obviously not much, he’s in conservative load management right now, so that’s going to take a while.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.