Injured Arsenal pair confirmed available against GNK Dinamo

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal duo Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori are both available to face GNK Dinamo on Wednesday night after injury.

Arsenal duo Riccardo Calafiori and Ethan Nwaneri have been out with injuries over the last couple of weeks, but both players were spotted taking part in the Gunners’ final training session ahead of their Champions League clash against GNK Dinamo in midweek.

Speaking in his press conference afterwards, Mikel Arteta confirmed that they’re each now available for selection.

“It’s very positive news,” Arteta admitted. “We’ve missed them for a few weeks and they returned today for training so they will be available for the game.”

Champions League clubs hold open training sessions with the media the day before matches, so the Gunners couldn’t hide Nwaneri and Calafiori’s involvement ahead of Wednesday’s match.

On the other side of things, the session revealed that Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, and William Saliba remain absent from training.

Nwaneri’s return is obviously a big one, with Bukayo Saka out until at least March. Arsenal lack a left-footed option on the right-wing, and Nwaneri scored in his last appearance in the position.

Calafiori’s comeback is perhaps less urgent, given Myles Lewis-Skelly’s form and the availability of Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Given the Italian international’s injury history, that’s a good thing, as Arsenal won’t want to rush him back onto the pitch.

But if both of them are ready to go again now, it can only be a good thing for Arteta’s side.