Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has provided a fitness update on his first-team squad ahead of tonight’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners were without the likes of Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Petr Cech for the derby win over West Ham United but the trio have participated in first-team training ahead of the Atleti game.
In a report covered by Arsenal official website, Wenger confirmed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan has yet to fully recover from his medial knee ligament injury and this is expected to exclude him from the matchday squad.
Meanwhile, Elneny has also been sidelined with an ankle problem picked up during the 4-1 win over West Ham and the Egypt international may not feature for the Gunners again.
Wenger said:
“Mkhitaryan is not back in the squad and Mohamed Elneny is out for the rest of the season. He has a little chance to play at Huddersfield. I think he will be available for Egypt at the World Cup.”
Arsenal’s defence has been a weak point over course of the season and they cannot afford any mishaps against Atleti, who possess the mesmerising talents of Antoine Griezmann in their frontline.
Moreover, the Spanish outfit are also rock-solid in defence and the Gunners need to make the most of every goalscoring opportunity whilst guarding themselves against a counter-attack.
Arsenal are currently out of contention for a potential top-four spot in the Premier League and winning the Europa League title now remains essential to their prospects of Champions League football for next season.
