Arteta Names Arsenal Travelling Squad for Crucial Inter Milan Clash – Three Key Stars Miss Out
Mikel Arteta has named the Arsenal squad that’ll be making the trip to the famous San Siro for the real high-stakes UEFA Champions League showdown against Inter Milan. The Gunners will be taking on Inter on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 – a crucial tie given it’s their second to last match in the Champions League group stage.
Arsenal are of course still chasing automatic qualification to the knockout stages – or at the very least looking to solidify their spot at the top of the group – so Arteta has made some key decisions on his squad for this one. On the one hand he’s welcomed back two important players, but on the other he’s got a couple major absences to deal with.
Boost: Norgaard and Nwaneri Return
Christian Norgaard and exciting young prospect Ethan Nwaneri both get the nod for the travel party after missing out on the Premier League draw against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
- They weren’t even on the bench at the City Ground
- Which gives Arteta a bit more to think about with regards to his midfield options – that’s got to be a boost for him
- In reality though their return could make all the difference in helping the Gunners get a good result in Milan
Arteta will be counting on the two of them to bring energy and flexibility to the table, which should help Arsenal stay on track in Europe.
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Key Absences: Three Stars Left at Home
While the team gets some new blood, Arteta’s got a few injury worries to juggle. Three of the absentees stuck back in London are worth a mention:
Bukayo Saka – Minor Fitness Concern
You might recall Saka got a bit of a rest ahead of the Forest game, which probably had some fans getting a bit anxious. Arteta said afterwards that Saka’d been carrying a minor issue from all the minutes he’d put in recently.
But the good news is that Saka was out on the training pitch on Monday, which is a big relief.
What did Arteta say about it? “Bukayo’s had a lot of mileage in his legs and was carrying a niggle – so we just need to take care of our players. We’re lucky to have a few other top players who can step in…”
Saka’s probably going to be good to go for the Inter Milan match on January 20, but don’t expect him to be playing full throttle just yet.
Piero Hincapie – Groin Injury Ruled Him Out
You might remember Hincapie getting hurt against Liverpool and then missing a few more games in a row against Portsmouth, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. He’s not made the trip to Italy, so it looks like he’s going to have to sit out for a bit longer.
When will he be back? We don’t know yet, it’s a matter for the docs to decide.
Riccardo Calafiori – Muscle Problem Keeping Him Sidelines
Calafiori picked up a muscle problem during the warm-up before the Brighton game and has now missed seven games across the board.
Like Hincapie, he’s staying back in London and won’t be joining the group in Italy.
What did Arteta have to say about it? “It’s a muscle injury, and he’s making progress but we can’t say for sure when he’ll be back. We’re thinking a few weeks at least, but we can’t be more specific than that.”
When will he be back? No idea yet, will have to wait and see.
Max Dowman – Long-Term Ankle Injury
Poor Max Dowman suffered a nasty ankle injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United back in mid December. Arteta said at the time he’d be out for some weeks.
Dowman’s come off the Champions League squad as a result and Gabriel Jesus has stepped in to replace him. He’s not in training and won’t be making the trip to Italy.
What did Arteta say about Max? “(Max) is in a similar boat to Mosquera, both injured for a similar amount of time, and both are moving forward slowly but they’re still not training yet. So a few more weeks, I reckon.”
When will he be back? Late February, hopefully.
Arsenals Mission in Milan
The Gunners are off to the San Siro full of confidence now, though they still need to watch their spending a bit – one round ball in wrong spot and it all gets a lot harder. A big win here could pretty much seal the deal on a trophy in the league phase and see them keep on rolling in Europe.
We’ll be bringing you the latest on team line-ups, live coverage and reaction from this massive Champions League showdown – so stay locked in!
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Arteta Names Arsenal Travelling Squad for Crucial Inter Milan Clash – Three Key Stars Miss Out