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Arsenal are back in FA Cup action on Sunday afternoon, hosting League One side Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium for a place in the fifth round
Half a dozen Arsenal players did not appear to train on Saturday ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Wigan Athletic at Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta put the team through their paces at the Sobha Realty Training Centre a day before welcoming League One opposition to north London.
Photos of twenty players in total have emerged from the sessions. Max Dowman was one of those for the first time since December after recovering from an ankle injury. However, it was much more notable for the absentees than for those involved barely 24 hours before this season's FA Cup campaign continues.
Martin Odegaard was one of those not seen after heavily limping through the mixed zone after Thursday's 1-1 draw with Brentford. The captain came on as a second-half substitute in west London and completed the entire second half, but seemed to be feeling the effects of doing so afterwards.
There are also no photos of Gabriel Magalhaes from training. However, the Brazilian has previously played matches despite seemingly missing sessions leading up to them. Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz remain out with their respective injuries.
There were also no images of either David Raya or Kepa Arrizabalaga from the session, with no goalkeepers photographed. Making up the numbers from Arsenal's academy teams were teenage defenders Jaden Dixon and Marli Salmon.
They are the latest youngsters to feature this week after Andre Harriman-Annous and Brayden Clarke's involvement before the Brentford game.
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The 20 players to feature were: Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Jaden Dixon, Jurrien Timber, Leandro Trossard, Marli Salmon, Martin Zubimendi, Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Viktor Gyokeres and William Saliba.
Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Arteta confirmed that he plans to rotate his squad to ensure every player gets opportunities across different competitions.
"Yes, that's what we’ve been doing," he confirmed. "I mean, try to make sure that everybody is a big part of what we are doing in different competitions, and Sunday will be the same."
In the Premier League, the Gunners are four points clear of Manchester City in second after their 1-1 draw at Brentford. Pep Guardiola's side, meanwhile, recorded a 3–0 home win over Fulham.
After the FA Cup clash, Arsenal will play Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday evening before the north London derby while City will take on Newcastle United on Saturday (February 21).
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