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.europesays.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":3,"featured_media":232480,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[5407,125251,125252,125253,125254,103431,125255,24284,125256,125257,44092,125258,76732,1322,125259,13721,125260,125261,221,62,67,132,68,108574,125262],"class_list":{"0":"post-232479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-arsenal","9":"tag-arsenal-bilbao-preview","10":"tag-arsenal-champions-league","11":"tag-arsenal-champions-league-campaign","12":"tag-arsenal-defence","13":"tag-arsenal-injuries","14":"tag-arsenal-injury-boost","15":"tag-arsenal-news","16":"tag-arsenal-squad-update","17":"tag-arsenal-training-news","18":"tag-arsenal-updates","19":"tag-arsenal-vs-man-city","20":"tag-emirates-stadium","21":"tag-featured","22":"tag-martin-odegaard-injury","23":"tag-mikel-arteta","24":"tag-premier-league-arsenal","25":"tag-saliba-vs-haaland","26":"tag-soccer","27":"tag-sports","28":"tag-united-states","29":"tag-unitedstates","30":"tag-us","31":"tag-william-saliba-injury","32":"tag-william-saliba-return"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}