Arsenal are without Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu for this evening’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
Smith Rowe has been struggling with a groin issue and revealed earlier this week that he would miss tonight’s curtain-raiser at Selhurst Park.
Tomiyasu and new signing Vieira have also experienced injury issues and struggled for minutes in pre-season, missing out again tonight.
Kieran Tierney is fit enough for the bench, however, while Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba all make their competitive debuts.
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When asked on Thursday about the fitness of the injured Arsenal quartet , Arteta said: “Well three out of four of those, probably they are going to be training this afternoon.
“If everything goes well they will be available for selection in the squad. Hopefully they are going to start to recover, because they have been missing a lot of minutes and time in pre-season. They are really important players for us.”
Pressed to clarify who of the four wouldn’t be training, Arteta replied: “Good question! You will find out tomorrow.”
Arsenal starting lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale White, Saliba, Gabriel, Saka Partey, Xhaka, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Cedric, Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Nelson, Elneny, Turner
Friday 8pm BST, Sky Sports
Venue: Selhurst Park
Referee: Michael Oliver
Injured: Smith Rowe (groin), Vieira (foot), Tomiyasu (calf)
