Madueke starts with Havertz, Gyokeres leads the line – Dream behind-closed-doors Arsenal XI

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Arsenal could host a behind-closed-doors friendly this international break with three returning stars in contention

Mikel Arteta is hoping to welcome back several members of his Arsenal squad following the conclusion of the international break. The Gunners have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and could be in for a boost with these returning players.

An opportunity to help bed them in before a tough run of games following the break, which includes Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, could be in the form of a friendly. Mikel Arteta has used these behind-closed-doors fixtures before.

The benefit of having so many players close to returning, while some have not been selected for their respective nations for now, is that they’re at the Sobha Realty Training Centre and could be involved. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly are all available for a game, having not been called up by Spain or England, respectively.

Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres were the short-term injured players who were pushing to return after the break. They could therefore be included in any potential lineup.

Martin Odegaard is currently in Norway, having joined his national side for the final crucial games of their World Cup qualifying in a non-playing capacity. Gabriel Jesus is not expected back yet.

However, both Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz could be in with a chance of making a return. The former was believed to be close to making the squad that travelled to Sunderland, although there is yet to be official word on Havertz.

Other positions, like centre-half and central midfield, would need to be made up of young players. Examining the most recent under-21s squad offers a glimpse into who could be in contention to play alongside some of their senior teammates.

Arsenal behind-closed-doors XI – Kepa; White, Onyekachukwu, Sweet, Lewis-Skelly; Ibrahim, Copley, Havertz; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli