Tag: Arsenal FC

Moises Caicedo was given huge praise over the weekend after a dominant showing against Tottenham in our derby win.

By the end of the game, the whole broadcast had basically descended into the Moises Caicedo show, with pundits, his manager and his fellow players all waxing lyrical about his abilities.

Caicedo and Rice set for massive midfield battle this month

Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice compared statistically.

Enzo Maresca was among a large group of people saying that Caicedo is the best midfielder in the league. One of his rivals, Declan Rice, comes to town at the end of this month.

The Athletic decided that meant this was a good moment to compare the two outstanding Premier League players, both of whom moved to their current club for a fee of over £100m in 2023.

Arsenal are far clear of us in the table, and unfortunately look uncatchable by anyone, let alone the Blues. But a win would be a big 3 points as we continue our endless quest for the top 4, and would be a great statement that we can still beat anyone on our day. If it knocks the Gunners into a bit of a bad spiral, so much the better.

Key to that game will be Rice vs. Caicedo, and until then we expect plenty more debates and discussions over who is better. The rest test comes on the 30th of November, of course. We can’t wait to see it.

Estevao Willian spoke in an interview this week about how he’s settled at Chelsea – and he had special praise for one teammate who had gone above and beyond to make him feel welcome.

In the same interview, Estevao also talked about the nickname he got in Brazil and how he had dealt with it since. People won’t be mentioning it much longer.

Arsenal are in Champions League action this evening, away to Sparta Prague.

There was no sign of Viktor Gyokeres in the opening training session before the team left London, and in his press conference, the manager sounded quite downbeat about the injury the Swedish striker sustained in the 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, saying:

He’s definitely not available. He hasn’t trained today, and we need to do some more tests and scans in the next few days to understand the extent of the injury, but for this game he’s not available.

I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he had to leave the pitch as he was feeling something, and that’s obviously never a good sign. Especially for a player that is very, very explosive, so we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of injury and we will announce it when we know more.

You never fully know when it comes to Arteta and injuries, but it doesn’t sound as if it’s just a minor thing. With most of the other forward options sidelined too, it gives him some thinking to do about his team this evening. He could use Mikel Merino, as he did on Saturday; there’s the option to play Leandro Trossard there; or even hand a start to young Andre Harriman-Anous who played in the EFL Cup win over Brighton.

Tonight’s opposition sit top of their domestic league, unbeaten at home in all competitions since December last year, when Anderlecht went there and won 2-1. Even so, I think we’ll see a team that has changes. There’s no Martin Zubimendi, who is suspended, so we could see Christian Norgaard start, and it wouldn’t surprise me if players like Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera were involved. If Arteta is rightly worried about the lack of options up front, he does have the capability of rotating further back – not just to give those players minutes, but to protect his ‘first choice’ starters ahead of a difficult away game in the Premier League this weekend.

Up top, I’m sure we’ll see Bukayo Saka start. Eberechi Eze could play on the left if he wants to play Trossard up front, but without Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard, the options really are severely limited. Arteta says:

We have to face it [the injury situation], we’ve been facing it in a brilliant way and we’ll continue like this. Tomorrow, we know we’re going to face a really good challenge here and, in the team as well, they are very intense, very direct, very vertical and we’re going to have to be really good to achieve what we want.

Arsenal have been perfect so far in Europe this season. Three games, three wins, no goals conceded, and I’m sure that’s a record the manager is keen to uphold. I just wonder if, with the injuries, potential rotation, and the game coming so soon after the last one, if this game might be a bit more helter-skelter than we normally see. Let’s see what happens, and don’t forget this is an early kick-off too, with the game at 17.45.

Meanwhile, the date for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace has been announced, and it’s December 23rd at 8pm. That means we play just two days after our trip to Everton on December 21st, and it looks as if Arsenal have made a request to have that game moved back to the Saturday. Speaking about it last night, Mikel Arteta said:

Hopefully they will move our Premier League match because to play two days later, it doesn’t make any sense obviously. We will now decide the date, I’m sure they will change the Premier League date as well. I think we’re very clear what’s the best thing, the most logical date to play. I’m sure we’ll have to adapt to that.

The issue is that this game has been moved to that Sunday for TV coverage (Sky), and Arsenal fans will have already booked travel and possibly accommodation on the basis of that. The other aspect is that Palace themselves play on December 18th in the Europa League, which means their Premier League game away to Leeds is also on December 21st, with no real chance of moving that back. So, in the interests of ‘fairness’, they might say that while two days between games is not ideal, it’s the same for both sides.

The other side of that is that Arsenal have, to some extent, been flexible to ensure Palace haven’t had to play four games in eight days, but even so I just can’t see them changing the date of the Everton game. A decision on that would have to be made pretty soon, so I’d expect to hear something this week. Whatever happens though, it’s not ideal for either club, and as I said the other day, the fixture congestion is a consequence of decisions made by those who run the game without sufficient thought for the players or the fans.

Let’s see what happens, but one way or the other, a cup quarter-final is going to be diminished because of the schedule, and ultimately that’s a shame.

Right, I’ll leave it there now. We’re hoping to have the live blog back later on, but we’ll announce on BlueSky if we’re running that coverage. We will have all the usual stuff on Arseblog News, and there’s an Arsecast Extra below if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet.

After another successful weekend of Premier League action, Arsenal will have shifted their focus to the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been faultless in the competition so far this season, beating Athletic Bilbao, Olympiacos and Atlético Madrid by an aggregate score of 8-0.

The North Londoners will be faced with a fresh challenge on Tuesday night, though, as they take on the fiery Slavia Prague away from home, likely without Viktor Gyokeres.

However, while the Swedish international will be a miss, Arteta could replace him with a youngster who has won some flattering comparisons to Liverpool’s star strikers.

Gyokeres’ start to life at Arsenal

To say that there was a lot of pressure on Gyokeres to hit the ground running at Arsenal would be an understatement.

Yes, he didn’t cost anywhere near as much as some other strikers, but he was incredibly prolific for Sporting CP, and the narrative around the Gunners last year was that they were a forward short of winning the Premier League.

So there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and while he has had some underwhelming performances and looked a little clunky here and there, it would be fair to say he’s had a reasonable start to life in North London.

For example, while he has not been as lethal as some hoped he would, the Stockholm-born ace has now got six goals to his name, two of which came against a top team in Atlético last time out in the Champions League.

Moreover, against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, the 27-year-old put in what many have described as his best performance in an Arsenal shirt.

Not only did he open the scoring in the 14th minute, but he also helped create the second goal and could have had two assists if Bukayo Saka had his shooting boots on.

Unfortunately, he did come off at halftime, with Arteta later claiming he had a muscular problem.

Since then, Arsenal writer Charles Watts has confirmed that he did not participate in the last training session, and therefore, it appears he won’t be available to play against Slavia.

While this is far from ideal, Arteta does have a solution available to him, and no, it’s not Mikel Merino.

The Arsenal player Arteta should start instead of Gyokeres

With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still out injured, Merino feels like the obvious solution to Gyokeres’ absence.

However, Arteta turned to the Spaniard on Saturday, and the team suddenly became a lot less threatening and fluid.

Therefore, he should be brave and hand yet another start to one of Hale End’s most exciting stars: Andre Harriman-Annous.

It would be a bold move, but the 17-year-old looked lively against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup, and while he didn’t score a goal against the Seagulls, Saka’s goal came from his saved effort.

Moreover, while Merino has more experience, the youngster is far more mobile, and as one analyst points out, “has shades of Isak and Ekitiké” in his game, particularly in the way he can float out wide and come back in.

Another reason he should be given this chance is that he has already proven he can score at the junior level.

For example, in 35 appearances across the u18s and U21s last year, the 17-year-old racked up an impressive tally of 15 goals and three assists.

Finally, while it would perhaps be foolish of Arteta to start the Hale Ender in the league due to the level of competition, handing him this opportunity in a relatively low-stakes European game against weaker opposition could be the perfect chance to get him more experience.

It would also stop him from risking the only other senior back-up he currently has for Gyokeres.

Ultimately, starting Harriman-Annous would be a gamble, but based on his performances in the academy and last week, it’s one Arteta should take in light of Gyokeres’ injury.

Gary Neville is adamant that only one team can stand in Arsenal’s way of lifting the Premier League title this season.

The Gunners have been performing to an exceptional standard as of late, winning eight out of their 10 league fixtures so far this season.

In October, Mikel Arteta’s side went without defeat and kept clean sheets in all six games throughout the month. They continued this dominance with a 2-0 win away to Burnley on Saturday courtesy of goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice.

An away trip to Slavia Prague is up next in the Champions League on Tuesday before a tough trip to the Stadium of Light to play an in-form Sunderland. Here, Mirror Football has all the details on the latest coming out of the Emirates Stadium.

Neville’s title race verdict

Neville insists that Liverpool rediscovering their form from last season is the only thing that could block Arsenal’s race to the title this time around. While discussing this year’s Premier League contenders on NBC Sports, the ex-Manchester United defender was adamant that Arteta’s squad have covered all bases with signings and could finally clinch the coveted trophy.

He said: “Look, Arsenal can lose the title from here. I understand why Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal players and even the fans will play down the idea that they have to win it this season.

“But they’re the most consistent team, and they’ve been building up to this now for three or four seasons. I actually tipped them for the title for the past three seasons, and they’ve obviously fallen short. I thought they should have been there last season when Liverpool won it because I thought if Man City dropped off, Arsenal had to be the team to do it.

“There won’t be many people making excuses for Arsenal this season and that’s not me applying pressure to Arsenal, I just think they’re the best team in the league and they’ve got the right squad. It’s only November so it’s crazy to suggest you should win the league from here – but they should and if you’re not Mikel Arteta or an Arsenal player, you can say that quite confidently.”

Highlighting the squad’s strength in depth, Neville added: “The reason I say I’m confident Arsenal will win the league is because you always think about what can stop a team. If Liverpool lost Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah in previous seasons they would be in trouble.

“But I can’t think of any player Arsenal might lose now and it would mean they would lose the title… even the two centre-backs because of the summer signings. Every position is covered. Bukayo Saka was that player in the past but Noni Madueke came in when he was injured. Everywhere, they are properly doubled up with the same level of quality or only a small drop-off. So who’s going to take it off them?

“Arsenal would have to beat themselves not to win it. I don’t think Man City are going to get back to a level they’ve been at previously and come back at Arsenal. Pep Guardiola is a genius but he hasn’t got the players or the team playing at the level needed. Liverpool are the only team but they would have to get back on track very quickly.”

Viktor Gyokeres concern aired

Micah Richards has questioned the big-game ability of Gyokeres at Arsenal as he wonders whether the Swedish striker can be the difference-maker on the pitch. So far, the 27-year-old has six goals in 14 games for the Gunners, including two in the Champions League.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards said he is unsure if Gyokeres has the ability to keep Arsenal at the top in the latter stages of the season, calling on him to offer more when needed. He said: “The question is going to be, Gyokeres, can he make the difference in the bigger games?

“Because right now, he’s doing so well for the team in terms of stretching, but he’s missing a lot of opportunities that maybe could go against him at the end of the season.

“I know they’ve got Kai Havertz to come back, but Gyokeres needs to be the difference against the bigger teams, the later stages of the Champions League, and when it gets really difficult in a league, you’re playing three times a week. If you have a Real Madrid in one week, you have a Man City, or whatever it may be, that needs to be the difference.”

Lineker agreed with Richards’ point on Gyokeres, albeit holding out hope the striker will grow with more time. He added: “The criticism that people perhaps would say is that, I don’t want to call him a flat-track bully, that’s a bit unfair, because what he did in Portugal, he didn’t really score many goals against the top teams, and so far his [Premier League] goals have been against Burnley, [Nottingham] Forest and Leeds.

“So I take your point, I think he needs to do in some of the big games, but I think he’s had a reasonable start.”

Mikel Arteta hopes Arsenal’s game against Everton will be brought forward by 24 hours after it was confirmed that Crystal Palace will visit the Emirates in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on 23 December.

The Eagles had originally been due to play the tie on 16 December but faced the prospect of four games in eight days, squeezed between a league clash with Manchester City and a Europa Conference League match against Finnish side KuPS.

While Arsenal were willing to delay the fixture to ease Palace’s schedule, they understandably want to avoid a situation where they themselves have to play twice in the space of two days.

The Gunners’ first trip to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium is currently set for 2pm on Sunday, 21 December, after being selected for broadcast by Sky Sports. Moving it forward to Saturday would make more sense from a player welfare perspective, though it would cause complications for supporters who may already have made travel and accommodation plans.

Speaking from Prague on Monday night, Arteta said: “Hopefully they will move our Premier League match because to play two days later, it doesn’t make any sense obviously.

“We will now decide the date, I’m sure they will change the Premier League date as well.”

Asked to confirm whether the club had formally requested the change, he continued:

“I leave that to the club. I think we’re very clear what’s the best thing, the most logical date to play. I’m sure we’ll have to adapt to that.”

Arteta also reiterated the principles he outlined last week when discussing fixture scheduling: “As I said the other day, I’m sure we’ll apply the principles of, first of all, it’s the players, then it’s the supporters, and then the time [of fixtures].

“Now we need to have equality and the same chances for every club, so hopefully it will be fair.”

When it was put to him that Arsenal have the squad depth to cope with heavy rotation if necessary, Arteta pushed back:

“We have seven players out, so I don’t know what depth we’re talking about now because we’re missing a lot of players, a lot of front players. So if we continue to do that every three days, we won’t be respecting what we discussed earlier, which, in our opinion, is the most important part.”

For now, Arsenal await confirmation on whether the Premier League and Everton will accommodate their request.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Viktor Gyokeres is out of Arsenal’s trip to Slavia Prague on Tuesday and admits he is concerned over the extent of his injury issue.

The Swedish striker scored in the 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley on Saturday but had to be replaced at half-time at Turf Moor.

The summer signing from Sporting missed training on Monday so was not expected to be involved in the Champions League outing on Tuesday and Arteta has hinted that he could miss more action.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Monday evening, Arteta said of Gyokeres and the trip to Slavia Prague: ‘He’s definitely not available. He hasn’t trained today.

‘We need to do some more tests and scans the next few days to understand the extent of the injury but this game he’s not available.’

On how concerned he is over the striker’s issue, the manager said: ‘I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues. He had to leave the pitch and he was feeling something, that’s obviously never a good sign especially for a player that is very, very explosive. We’ll announce the moment we know more.’

Pushed on exactly what injury Gyokeres is suffering with, the Spaniard said: ‘I leave that to the doctors. They will explain. I don’t want to talk anymore. We will see in the next week or so.’

The Swede had scored three goals in three appearances before this setback, which Arteta admits makes the injury especially disappointing.

‘Well obviously he was very disappointed after the match with what he felt but this is part of football,’ said the Gunners boss. ‘If you expect a linear line always going up it’s not going to happen.

‘If he’s got something he’s going to have to deal with it and we will help him to do that. He was in a really good moment, in really good form, really important for the team, but for tomorrow we don’t have him, that’s it.’

Arteta is a bit short of options up front now Gyokeres is sidelined as Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus also remain sidelined.

Gabriel Martinelli is also out, meaning it could be Leandro Trossard or Mikel Merino asked to lead the line in Prague.

Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke also remain out injured, while Martin Zubimendi is suspended on Tuesday.

However, the Spanish midfielder did train on Monday, which allays fears of injury after he was taken off against Burnley on Saturday.

Premier League leaders Arsenal return to Champions League action on Tuesday when they face Czech side Slavia Prague.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been in sensational form across all competitions this season and currently sit six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

They have also been impressing in Europe and are one of only five teams that have won each of their first three games in the group phase of the competition.

Arteta will hope to see his side move a step closer to qualification for the next round when they visit the Czech capital, but in the meantime it has also emerged that the North London club have been informed that one of their transfer targets could be available in January.

According to TBR Football, Real Madrid star Rodrygo is weighing up his future and is increasingly of the view that his long-term future will lie away from the club.

Rodrygo, 24, joined Real from Brazilian outfit Santos in 2019 and has since established himself as one of the most productive attacking players in Europe.

In total he has scored 68 goals in 281 games for the La Liga giants across all competitions – as well as providing 53 assists – but he has fallen somewhat out of favour since the arrival of Xabi Alonso as head coach earlier this year.

So far this season the Brazil winger has started just two of Real’s 11 league games, with the likes of Arda Guler seemingly higher up the pecking order of attackers in Alonso’s squad.

The report claims that both Arsenal and fierce North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have shown interest in the Brazil international and have therefore been made aware of the player’s situation.

Rodrygo is currently contracted to Real Madrid until the end of the 2027/28 season.

The Carabao Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Crystal Palace has been moved due to a fixture pile-up.

Palace faced the mildly ludicrous prospect of playing four games in eight days when the calendar reaches mid-December – hosting Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday 14 December before the Carabao Cup clash with the Gunners on Tuesday 16 December, a Conference League match against Finnish side KuPS two days after that and then a league game against Leeds to round off the hellish week on Sunday 21 December.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner had slated the proposed fixture schedule and claimed it would be harmful to his players.

“It’s dangerous, irresponsible to say that you should play Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday,” fumed Glasner last Friday.

Even Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta concurred with that sentiment, saying there were “much better options” than that date.

And Palace have now been given something of a reprieve, with the quarter-final being moved to Tuesday 23 December instead, as both teams confirmed.

“Crystal Palace’s Carabao Cup quarter-final away to Arsenal will take place at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, 23rd December,” wrote Palace in a statement.

“The other quarter-finals are set to take place in the week prior, with Palace’s trip to Arsenal instead set for 23rd December to account for the Eagles’ participation in the Uefa Conference League.”

The game will be held at Emirates Stadium and kick off at 8pm. It will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports and ITV.

It means Palace face the slightly more manageable prospect of four games in 10 days instead and will enjoy the luxury of a five-day gap after the Gunners game before taking on Tottenham on 28 December.

Both sides will still have the quarter-final represent a second fixture in three days as they’re in Premier League action at 2pm on Sunday 21 December – Arsenal travelling to Everton and Palace, as previously mentioned, taking on Leeds at Elland Road.

Carabao Cup quarter-final schedule
Tuesday 16 December

Cardiff City v Chelsea (8pm)

Wednesday 17 December

Manchester City v Brentford (7.30pm)

Newcastle United v Fulham (8.15pm)

Tuesday, December 23

Arsenal v Crystal Palace (8pm)

The good times keep rolling on for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side continued their winning run against Burnley on the weekend and remain seven points clear of Liverpool atop the Premier League.

It was another convincing performance from the North Londoners, and one in which Declan Rice once again proved that he is one of, if not the best, midfielders in the league.

However, the former West Ham United captain was not the only standout performer, as another of Arteta’s men continued the Ballon d’Or-level campaign he’s having this year.

Rice’s sensational season

When Arsenal spent a club-record £105m on Rice in the summer of 2023, there was an awful lot of pressure on the Englishman.

Everyone knew that he was a sensational footballer at the time, but it’s a rare thing for someone to justify being worth more than £100m.

Fortunately for Arteta and Co, he has achieved that and more over the last two and a bit years, first shining as an out-and-out six and then transitioning more into a marauding eight.

His first two campaigns in North London were brilliant, with him producing 17 goal involvements in the first and 19 in the second, but this year, he has taken another massive step forward.

With Martin Zubimendi now in the side, Arteta has once again modified the 26-year-old’s role in the team, with him telling the press on international duty that the manager has “adjusted my position at Arsenal a bit this year to give me a bit more freedom to drop deeper but to also get in the box when I can.”

This has seen the “world-class”

international, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, spend more time in the middle of the park breaking up opposition attacks, but also then bursting forward to help create opportunities for the team.

For example, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 13% of midfielders in the league for touches in the middle third, and also in the top 1% for progressive carries, the top 4% for expected assists, and more per 90.

In other words, the Gunners’ monstrous number 41 is, in the words of Ashley Williams, an utterly “complete midfielder.”

Finally, on top of everything he does during open play, Rice has a shout for being the best setpiece specialist in the world, as whether it’s a corner or a free kick, he can and will drop the ball exactly where his teammates want it – just as he did against Burnley.

With all that said, there is another Arsenal star who is performing at a Ballon d’Or level this season.

The Arsenal star at a world-class level
With Arsenal doing so well this season, there are several players who could be described as playing at a Ballon d’Or level.

For example, Zubimendi has hit the ground running, Jurrien Timber has been sensational in attack and defence, and Riccardo Calafiori is a joy to watch.

However, when it comes to picking Arsenal’s best player so far this year, it’s impossible to look past Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian has almost entirely rid his game of the mistakes that led to some questioning him in the past, and has instead become one of the most reliable defenders in the league.

Whether the ball is in the air or on the ground, the former LOSC Lille ace always seems to know how to deal with it, and perhaps the most complimentary thing you can say about him is that William Saliba looks that little bit less assured without him in the backline.

Moreover, the 6 foot 3 “colossus,” as dubbed by Adam Keys, has made the Gunners a far more physically imposing team, as few, if any, opposition players can cope with his physicality.

So far this season, he has made 15 appearances for the North Londoners, 13 of which have been starts, playing a massive role in the side, conceding just three goals and standing a chance of beating Chelsea’s record of conceding just 15 in a league campaign.

Finally, it’s not just his defensive brilliance that makes the Brazilian a world-class talent, but also his offensive prowess.

For example, his assist for Viktor Gyokeres means no other defender in the Premier League has been involved in more goals than him since his arrival in 2020.

Moreover, just this season alone, the 27-year-old has been able to score twice and provide three assists, which would be a great return for a top-quality ten, let alone a centre-back.

Ultimately, due to his outstanding defending and exceptional attacking qualities, it has become increasingly clear that Gabriel is currently performing at a Ballon d’Or level this season.

Arsenal had a couple of new injury concerns following Saturday’s win over Burnley, with Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi both going off early.

The good news on Zubimendi is that he has immediately returned to training, taking part in a session in front of the media on Monday. Arsenal face Slavia Prague away from home on Tuesday, and training the day before a Champions League game is always open to the press.

Unfortunately, Zubimendi will be ineligible to play for Arsenal in Tuesday’s match anyway, as he picked up a yellow-card suspension in his last appearance.

There wasn’t such a positive update on Gyokeres, with Simon Collings reporting that he wasn’t involved in the session. Kepa Arrizabalaga was also absent, despite not playing at the weekend. If he’s picked up an injury, it wasn’t on the pitch.

With Gyokeres potentially missing out on Tuesday’s game, Mikel Arteta might want to turn to Andre Harriman-Annous once again. The striker started Arsenal’s League Cup game against Brighton and Hove Albion the previous week, and he was involved in training on Monday.

Charles Sagoe Jr. was also involved in the session, and he’s an even easier call-up as he’s ineligible for the Arsenal u19 UEFA Youth League game against Slavia Prague earlier the same day.

Of course, Mikel Merino is another option up front, and the likeliest of the three to start the game. But there would be no harm in having a youth player or two on the bench.

Max Dowman was also involved in training, as he continues to make appearances in the first-team squad as well. With Zubimendi suspended there is certainly space for another midfielder.

If Kepa is out too, Tommy Setford is likely to step into Arsenal’s backup goalkeeper role, and Alexei Rojas is the most likely to be the third choice.

Arsenal always take three keepers to Champions League matches, so whether it’s Rojas or someone else, a youth call-up would be required alongside Setford.

In the only other injury news, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, and Martin Odegaard all remain absent.