Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal injury boost ahead of Paris Saint-Germain showdown

Mikel Arteta has delivered a crucial injury update for Arsenal ahead of their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The team is traveling to France today for the second leg of Wednesday’s semi-final.

After suffering a 1-0 defeat last week, Arteta’s men face a tough challenge to reach the final in Munich later this month.

Ahead of the crucial fixture, the north London club were given a significant boost as Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori were all seen taking part in Tuesday morning’s training session.

Captain Odegaard, who has faced criticism over his recent performances, picked up a foot injury late in Saturday’s unexpected home loss to Bournemouth.

The Norway midfielder eased concerns on Monday about the injury’s severity, and his return to training was likely a welcome sight for Arteta.

Timber missed the Bournemouth game after coming off late during the first leg against PSG.

Ben White filled in over the weekend, and Arteta said Arsenal will decide late whether Timber will be fit to start on Wednesday.

‘We will assess him today whether he can start or not,’ said the Arsenal boss in his pre-match press conference.

There was also hope that Calafiori would feature at the Parc des Princes after being sidelined since March with a knee injury sustained on international duty for Italy.

The defender traveled with the squad, and Arteta said: ‘He’s fit and he’s ready to play when we need him so that’s great news obviously.’

Arsenal were eliminated after a 2-1 loss in Paris, losing 3-1 on aggregate, but Arteta’s side had impressed with a strong performance in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid.

‘We need to do a lot of the things we did in the first leg but better and more consistently,’ he said.

‘If we do that, the probability for success will be very, very close to us. We’re more than capable; we’ve done it in Europe against a lot of odds.

‘A lot of people wouldn’t have said we would be in this position so that goes against history as well. Let’s make our own history.’

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