The Gunners can win the Dubai Super Cup with victory over Milan on Tuesday afternoon
Arsenal play their final game in the Dubai Super Cup on Tuesday before returning to England.
The Gunners cruised past Lyon 3-0 in the opening match of the four-team tournament and will now take on AC Milan on Tuesday afternoon (2pm UK time) at the Al Maktoum Stadium.
So how are Mikel Arteta’s side shaping up ahead of that clash? GOAL takes a look.
GettyArsenal team news
Oleksandr Zinchenko remains sidelined for Arsenal with the muscle problem that saw his miss out against Lyon. Emile Smith Rowe is also expected to miss out once again as he continues to battle back to full fitness following groin surgery.
Ben White, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Matt Turner are all back with the squad following the World Cup and could potentially feature. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Aaron Ramsdale are all expected to rejoin training at some point this week.
AdvertisementGetty Images.Talking point
The big talking point ahead of the game is whether Arteta will opt to start some of the players who have just linked up with the squad following the end of their stay at the World Cup.
White, Partey, Turner and Xhaka are all in Dubai and could potentially feature against Milan on Tuesday. Arteta will certainly be tempted to give them some minutes ahead of the squad’s return to England, but it could be that all of them get some game time in the second half.
Getty ImagesDubai Super Cup state of play
Arsenal and Lyon sit level at the top of the table on four points, although the French side have played a game more. The Gunners picked up three points from beating Lyon 3-0 in their first game and added an extra point by also coming out on top of the penalty shootout that was staged at the end of the 90 minutes.
Lyon then beat Liverpool 3-1 in their second game on Sunday and also added a further point to their total by beating the Reds on penalties as well. So a win for Arsenal against Milan on Tuesday will be enough to see them win the competition as it would take them to a minimum of seven points before the final game of the tournament, which sees Milan take on Liverpool on Friday.
Getty ImagesWhat has Arteta said?
While Arsenal’s senior stars were the catalyst for the win against Lyon last Thursday, the youngsters who were introduced in the second half and helped see the game out also had a major role to play.
When asked about having the opportunity to give the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Lino Sousa and Myles Lewis-Skelly minutes during the competition, the Gunners boss said: “It’s great. They are always with us, they are really involved in our processes and they know we want to give an opportunity to young players. It’s something we’re adamant to do and having them in camp has been great. To see some of them already performing and having opportunities with the first team at a very young age is really nice.”