Latest Arsenal injury news as eight to miss Barcelona amid Bukayo Saka referee concern
Arsenal will look to return to winning ways on Thursday morning when they take on FC Barcelona in their third and final pre-season fixture of their tour of the United States.
The Gunners fell to a 2-0 defeat to Premier League rivals Manchester United on Saturday night. So far, Mikel Arteta's side have won one, drawn two and lost one of their four games this summer ahead of the 2023/24 season.
All three new signings started together for the first time since their arrivals. Declan Rice partnered Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz in a midfield three while Jurrien Timber replaced Ben White at right-back.
Leandro Trossard, who was a concern ahead of the game, managed to get additional minutes into his legs after coming off the bench in the 71st minute. There were also minutes for Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira, with the former featuring for the first time after being allowed extra time due to his participation in the Under-21 European Championships.
There was, however, reason for concern with a number of questionable tackles from United star Lisandro Martinez. The Argentine hacked Bukayo Saka down in the first-half with a forceful challenge, prompting Arteta to urge referees to protect the prodigy.
«The are here to compete and to win as we are,»Arteta said. «It's the job of the referee to stop it.» He continued: «You asked me yesterday about how difficult or easy the season will be. It’s going to be more difficult, more challenging.
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»The level and the preparation of every team is excellent. We knew today. They played two games before this one. We knew that the test was going to be really demanding just as it will be on Wednesday against
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