Arsenal have received a triple injury boost ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain, as three fitness doubts took part in team training on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta‘s men head to the French capital for Wednesday’s return fixture aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, where Ousmane Dembele‘s fourth-minute goal was the difference.
The Gunners have never turned around a European tie after losing the first leg at home, and their hopes of regaining some momentum ahead of the trip to Paris suffered a major blow at the weekend owing to their 2-1 loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Arteta put out a near full-strength starting lineup in that encounter, with the exception of Ben White filling in for first-choice right-back Jurrien Timber, who missed out with an unspecified problem.
At the end of the game, Arteta cut a pessimistic figure when asked about Timber’s chances of being fit for the trip to Paris, admitting that there was a risk that the Dutchman would not make the cut.
So, Timber, Odegaard and Calafiori all training today. Havertz not yet ready though. pic.twitter.com/9Bt9h7yUTw
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) May 6, 2025
However, Timber was fine to take part in full training on Tuesday afternoon, as Arsenal opened up the first 15 minutes of their session to the media as standard before a European game.
The former Ajax man should therefore be given the green light to make the trip to Paris, although Arteta will give a firm fitness update when he faces the media at 6pm this evening alongside Declan Rice.
As well as Timber, fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori finally rejoined his teammates for practice, several weeks after sustaining a knee injury with Italy during the March international break.
In addition, captain Martin Odegaard was working alongside the rest of the squad, despite taking a slight knock in the weekend’s defeat to Bournemouth, which Arteta did not comment positively on after the game.
Jorginho is still recovering from a punctured lung, though, while Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes (both hamstring), Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus (both knee) are still in the treatment room.
What could Arsenal’s defence look like against PSG?
Timber’s quick return to training is not a real surprise; it was reported at the weekend that his absence was mostly precautionary, and Arteta can never be fully trusted when giving team news updates to the media.
As White is also lacking match practice and yet to return to his best form since his knee operation, Timber will almost certainly start alongside William Saliba and David Raya at the Parc des Princes.
Calafiori’s possible return would also give Arteta the best kind of selection dilemma, as the Italian could either occupy the left-sided centre-back role alongside Saliba or start at left-back over Myles Lewis-Skelly.
However, a spot on the bench is far more likely for Calafiori, so Lewis-Skelly’s spot at left-back should be safe, as should Jakub Kiwior‘s alongside Saliba in the heart of the rearguard.
If Arsenal can rectify last weekend’s mistakes at home, they would become just the third team to reach the Champions League final after losing the first leg of the semi-final at home after Ajax in 1996 (vs. Panathinaikos) and Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 (vs. Ajax).
No Data Analysis info
