Arsenal full squad revealed for Man Utd as Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey decisions made

Arsenal could have a relatively threadbare defence for the visit of Manchester United on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta couldn't rule out being nearly at full strength either.

It has become a common occurrence for the manager to offer minimal and cryptic updates when it comes to injuries and this game has been no different. There is a chance that Arsenal are without as many as six players for the match, at least four of which can argue they belong in the best XI.

It will not be until pretty close to kick-off at the Emirates Stadium that the reality of this situation becomes clear. For now, all he could say was: "We're going to have a meeting this afternoon. We have done a training session.

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"We monitored and kept some players away from certain activities. After that meeting, I will decide which ones are fit and available and who will start."

In the list of those who appear to be on the fence is Gabriel Magalhaes. Arteta urged caution in reading much into his social media message of "see you on Wednesday" following the win over West Ham on Saturday. If he is involved it wouldn't be the first time Arteta has remained coy on his fitness before putting him down to start.

Riccardo Calafiori is more likely to play after his substitution at the London Stadium was deemed precautionary rather than in reaction to another injury. "Well, he’s been dealing with little niggles in the last few weeks, obviously, he’s had a very serious knee injury and he’s doing really well but we have to manage his minutes," Arteta explained. "Today we have to do the same."

When it comes to Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino, even Myles Lewis-Skelly, it is more guesswork. None of the trio played against West Ham and are presumably in the group of those being assessed and facing late fitness tests.

Fortunately for Arsenal there is cover in the form of Jorginho, Ethan Nwaneri, and the return of Martin Odegaard to bolster numbers in midfield. Arteta may well be keen to get as many players as possible back into the side, though, especially for such a big game.

Here, football.london predicts what 20-man squad will be named for Manchester United on Wednesday.

Goalkeepers: David Raya, Neto

Defenders: Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Kieran Tierney, Josh Nichols

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino

Attackers: Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard