Arsenal fringe player could get chance in Monaco clash | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta insists that Kieran Tierney is going to get an opportunity on the pitch, particularly with the way the Arsenal squad is looking right now.

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With hours to go until Arsenal’s Champions League clash with AS Monaco on Wednesday night, it’s still not clear exactly which defenders will be available to Mikel Arteta.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu will certainly be out, but there are also serious doubts about Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, and Thomas Partey, all of whom have played in Arsenal’s back four recently. None of the five were in training on Tuesday.

Even youth right-back Josh Nichols might be out, with Arteta confirming the youngster has been “having some issues”, adding “we still don’t know if he’s available or not”.

Ironically, after almost six months out with an injury of his own, Kieran Tierney is now one of Arsenal’s only full-backs with a clean bill of health.

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Tierney hasn’t played any competitive football since June 19th, when he suffered an injury setback with Scotland against Switzerland. But he’s been on the bench for Arsenal for four matches now, and Arteta has suggested he could now get a chance on the pitch.

“Yeah, he is ready and he’s training really well and he’s going to have an opportunity for sure with the way the team is looking at the moment,” Arteta said, in response to a question about whether there was a chance for Tierney to come back into the team now.

“It’s for that reason (the injuries) and because he’s earned it as well with the way he’s behaved and the way he’s been with us because he’s willing to do it and when that happens you have to give opportunities to those kind of players.”

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At the very least, Arsenal will hope to have Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba available to partner each other in the centre of defence. Either Tierney or Myles Lewis-Skelly should be able to start at left-back, and then it’s a bit of a mystery as to which player might start at right-back.

If Timber or Partey are fit, they’re the most likely to take the spot. If they’re out and Nichols is in, he might get his Champions League debut. Otherwise, someone else is going to have to play out of position.