Arsenal behind-closed-doors friendly decision as Mikel Arteta learns from injury setback

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• Mikel Arteta

Arsenal are unlikely to play a behind-closed-doors friendly this international break after a spate of injuries at the club

The international break offers clubs the opportunity for rest, recovery and reset during high-intensity periods of the season. For Arsenal, this is no different, having played the near-maximum number of games possible, besides a Champions League play-off round, that any club could be involved in at this stage.

Several players have already pulled out of international duty including William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard and Jurrien Timber. Eberechi Eze has, however, suffered a more serious calf injury, with the England international set to miss several weeks, according to the latest reports.

Only a couple of the senior squad remain in North London, having not been called up: Kepa Arrizabalaga and Gabriel Jesus. The rest of the group that are fit are away with their respective nations, with even Ben White making a headline-grabbing return to the England setup.

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With this in mind, it is believed that a behind-closed-doors friendly is unlikely to take place for the Gunners. Although recovery is always a priority, Mikel Arteta has often used these international breaks to schedule non-competitive matches to give some players more minutes and help prepare for future games.

However, the club have already been negatively affected by one of these games earlier in the season. Max Dowman suffered a serious ankle injury in one of these friendlies earlier this season, which cost him around two months of action.

With so few players either fit enough or available, it means one of these games is highly unlikely to happen. Even the likes of Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly are away with the England youth teams, as is current on-loan star Ethan Nwaneri.

Plenty of youth players remain, however, which could be a way of Arteta organising a match, and it could be some of the players who have pulled out could get some restricted game time too, depending on their status.