Arsenal\u2019s season now steps into one of its most demanding stretches, with the Champions League returning and a seismic Premier League encounter looming. For Mikel Arteta, the sight at London Colney on Monday morning was more than routine\u2014it was a glimpse of relief.<\/p>\n
Saliba back in full training<\/p>\n
William Saliba, who has been nursing an ankle injury picked up at Liverpool last month, was once again spotted in training. His absence was felt during the weekend\u2019s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, a game that underlined Arsenal\u2019s depth but also reminded supporters of the French defender\u2019s importance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arteta admitted that Saliba \u201cneeded a few more days\u201d and that the turnaround \u201chad been too quick\u201d to play against Forest. Now, with Manchester City waiting at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, the centre-back\u2019s return could not be better timed. His composure and strength at the heart of the defence may prove vital against Erling Haaland, who continues to score at a frightening pace\u201411 goals in just five appearances for club and country this season.<\/p>\n
Balancing Europe and the league<\/p>\n
Before City, there is Bilbao. Arsenal\u2019s Champions League campaign begins in Spain on Tuesday, a reminder of how far this team has come under Arteta but also of the tightrope they must walk. Balancing European nights with the relentless grind of the Premier League is a task Arsenal fans know has tripped up their club before.<\/p>\n
Saliba\u2019s recovery offers reassurance, yet not every headline from training carried good news.<\/p>\n
Concern for Odegaard<\/p>\n
Captain Martin \u00d8degaard, who was forced off in the Forest match with a shoulder problem, did not train on Monday. His absence casts doubt over his involvement in Bilbao and potentially beyond. Arteta is expected to provide clarity during his pre-match press conference, though losing \u00d8degaard at such a juncture would be a significant blow.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/imago1053666525-scaled.jpg\")
Photo IMAGO
\nArsenal\u2019s defining week<\/p>\n
This is the kind of week Arsenal have been building towards. Arteta\u2019s side are no longer outsiders; they are challengers expected to withstand the pressure of Europe while still standing toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola\u2019s champions. A fit William Saliba strengthens their hand. An absent \u00d8degaard, however, would weaken it.<\/p>\n
The answers will come quickly\u2014Spain on Tuesday, north London on Sunday. By then, we will know whether Arsenal\u2019s resilience stretches beyond promise into proof.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arsenal\u2019s season now steps into one of its most demanding stretches, with the Champions League returning and a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[463,98307,98308,98309,98310,76465,98311,5764,98312,98313,6667,98314,87970,831,98315,4501,98316,98317,403,99,80937,98318],"class_list":["post-161894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-arsenal","tag-arsenal-bilbao-preview","tag-arsenal-champions-league","tag-arsenal-champions-league-campaign","tag-arsenal-defence","tag-arsenal-injuries","tag-arsenal-injury-boost","tag-arsenal-news","tag-arsenal-squad-update","tag-arsenal-training-news","tag-arsenal-updates","tag-arsenal-vs-man-city","tag-emirates-stadium","tag-featured","tag-martin-odegaard-injury","tag-mikel-arteta","tag-premier-league-arsenal","tag-saliba-vs-haaland","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-william-saliba-injury","tag-william-saliba-return"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}