Mikel Arteta says William Saliba is "ready to go" for Arsenal and could be in line for a first appearance of the season against Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Saliba 'ready to go' for Arsenal after back injury
Arsenal have received an injury boost ahead of their trip to Slavia Prague, with William Saliba back in the travelling squad to Czechia.
Saliba suffered a back injury while playing for France in the World Cup semi-final in July, and has been sidelined since.
But he is back in training for the Premier League champions and is part of the travelling squad for Wednesday's game.
While Arteta did not give any hint as to what involvement Saliba will have in the game – given Ezri Konsa's strong centre-back partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes so far this season – he confirmed the defender is closing in on a return.
"He's in a really good place," Arteta said of Saliba.
"I think the process and the timings and the manner that he's been dealing with, and especially the feelings that he's been having along the way, have been very, very positive.
"So, his evolution has been as expected, which is not always the case.
"He feels very comfortable; he played 45 minutes in closed doors last week, and he feels ready to go to where he is right now. It's a matter of what the team needs.
"I think he's very desperate and very loved, because William is somebody that is very admired and very liked around the team. Every time he's around, he creates something special.
"That's William; that's his nature. He's around the team now, and we need to give him the right moment, the right amount of minutes, and hopefully that's going to be very soon."
Arsenal suffered a huge shock in the EFL Cup last week, being knocked out by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
However, they bounced back well, with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Premier League, and will be looking to build more momentum against Slavia.
And history suggests they will do so. The Gunners are unbeaten in their previous three away games against Slavia (W2 D1) and are yet to concede a goal in any of them.
Arsenal are also unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League games (W13 D5), not including penalty shoot-outs. In that run, they have kept 11 clean sheets and conceded just nine goals overall.
Arteta's side recorded a 3-0 win over Slavia last term, but the Spaniard is expecting a tough test.
"Yeah, I watched it back twice," Arteta said of last year's clash.
"It's tough because it's a really good team, extremely well coached. Obviously, they've been almost 10 years together now.
"Really, really competitive team, great mindset. So clear principles and concepts that they want to apply, and the way they navigate you through the game. So, we know it's going to be a really difficult game."
