Double team news boost for Arsenal pre-Aston Villa clash

Football insider HandofArsenal reports that both Bruno Guimaraes and former Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa are part of the travelling squad to face Villa on Monday night.

The same source adds that it remains to be seen whether the pair will be included in the matchday squad list, in the starting lineup or on the bench. But at the very least, that possibility hasn’t yet been ruled out.

There were some doubts around both players for Monday night, for different reasons.

In Guimaraes’ case, the player has missed a number of recent Arsenal training sessions, as well as the Premier League opener against Coventry City, having picked up an injury in the previous Community Shield match against Manchester City.

But Mikel Arteta had played down those training absences in his press conference, saying: “We’ve just managed the last few days with him.

“He’s out on the pitch, he’s been doing training sessions but we need to manage his load to get to Monday in the best possible condition to be able to get selected. Yes, [he’s] potentially available (for Monday’s game).”

As for Konsa, there’s been no suggestion of injury, but the centre-back hasn’t played a competitive fixture of any description since the World Cup in the summer.

Given Konsa only left Villa for Arsenal in the last fortnight, there were also doubts over whether Arteta would choose to throw the centre-back in for a debut against his old team.

But Arteta seems to have no reservations on that front, saying: “He’s available. He’s trained really well and he will be available for selection.

“If I see something different in the player then I may have a question about that (playing him against his old team), but the way I’ve seen Ezri since day one, knowing his personality really well and through people that have worked with him, I have no concern there.”

William Saliba and Jurrien Timber remain absent, and they’re now likely to be the only two players to miss out on the trip to Villa Park.