Arsenal receive injury boost as Thomas Tuchel delivers Ezri Konsa update ahead of England's clash with Croatia

By Ben Sully | 02 Oct 2026 19:15, Last updated: 02 Oct 2026 19:16

England boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Ezri Konsa should be available to feature in Saturday's Nations League clash against Croatia.

The Arsenal defender played the full duration of last Saturday's 3-2 defeat against world champions Spain.

Konsa sat out the midweek win over the Czech Republic as an unused substitute due to a minor injury issue.

Arsenal and England fans will be pleased to hear that Konsa is already back in training and should be ready for the fixture in Rijeka.

Speaking at Friday's press conference, Tuchel said: "It seems that Ezri Konsa is back. He did the full training today and this is of course a lot of hope for tomorrow, because he is a key player for us.

“Nico O’Reilly left the camp, and on the right side [of centre-back], we have some competition and Marc [Guehi] should be ready to go and very likely to start.”

With O'Reilly now out of the squad, Newcastle United's Lewis Hall is widely expected to keep his place after starting in Prague on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tuchel's comments have effectively confirmed that Guehi will start a third consecutive game in this extended international window.

If Konsa is fit, Tuchel will have to decide whether to recall the Arsenal man or keep faith with Como's Trevoh Chalobah.

Alternatively, the England boss could go down a completely different route by handing Jarrad Branthwaite his first international start.

Tuchel also has a decision to make at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold hoping to retain his place ahead of his former Liverpool teammate Jarrell Quansah.

England head into Saturday's away clash in second place in Group A3, three points behind leaders Spain and level on points with Croatia in third position. 

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