Arsenal have the perfect chance to bounce back from Premier League defeat as they travel to Serie A champions Inter on Wednesday. Without a win in three Premier League matches, and with a trip to Chelsea coming up on Sunday, it is a crucial game.
Although the extended group phase format allows for more slip-ups, a win here for Arsenal would put them in a strong position to automatically progress to the last-16 in the new year. With two wins and a draw already, things have gone well so far.
Inter promise to be the biggest challenge yet, though, and they sit second in Italy so far, just a point behind Antonio Conte’s impressive Napoli. For Arteta, it will be a test of how he balances his creaking squad yet again.
Declan Rice, a mainstay for the Gunners, is ruled out after picking up an injury, whilst Riccardo Calafiori remains out. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are also sidelined, but have been for much of the campaign to date.
Fortunately for Arsenal, club captain Martin Odegaard is back. For the first time in two months, he is likely to be in the matchday squad at least after travelling with his teammates to San Siro.
