Arsenal will kick off their Premier League campaign against Wolves on Saturday, with Mikel Arteta’s squad aiming to make an early impact in the title race. Following a successful pre-season, highlighted by impressive wins over Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon, the Gunners appear well-prepared, though there are some lingering injury concerns.
Jurrien Timber, who had a challenging first season with Arsenal due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, also missed the latter part of pre-season because of a foot problem. While Timber was expected to return to training this week, his participation in the Wolves match is still in question. Additionally, Takehiro Tomiyasu, who missed the pre-season tour in the US due to a knee injury, is expected to be out for a few more weeks.
Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori was introduced during the Lyon game, playing the last 25 minutes. Calafiori is eager to make his competitive debut on Saturday after a strong pre-season, but Arteta might opt to start Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back instead. Zinchenko was part of a consistent back four in the latter part of pre-season, alongside Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhaes.
With Calafiori being the only new addition, Arsenal’s starting lineup is likely to closely resemble the one that narrowly missed out on the title to Manchester City last season. Kai Havertz, who was Arteta’s preferred striker towards the end of the previous season, is expected to continue in that role. Arteta is focused on rectifying last season’s shortcomings as the team looks to make a strong start in their pursuit of the title.
