Arsenal have received no fewer than three fitness boosts ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown with Newcastle United, as Mikel Arteta has welcomed a trio of injury victims back to training.
Prior to their penultimate game of the campaign and final home fixture of the 2024-25 season, the Gunners trained in front of a small crowd at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday morning.
Arteta was widely expected to be without Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, both of whom recently picked up hamstring injuries, the latter during the weekend's 2-2 stalemate with Liverpool.
However, both Rice and Trossard were involved in the team session on Wednesday, suggesting that they could surprisingly be passed fit for the visit of Eddie Howe's side in gameweek 37.
Furthermore, key attacker Kai Havertz also took part in training on the Emirates pitch, over three months on from he suffered a serious hamstring problem during Arsenal's mid-season Dubai training camp.
Havertz, Rice, Trossard all train before Newcastle
Arsenal training today at the Emirates with Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard fully involved. ✅ pic.twitter.com/xgXF1ce36a
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) May 14, 2025
Havertz was initially expected to sit out the remainder of the campaign, but having made excellent progress in his recovery, Arteta has refused to rule out the prospect of the ex-Chelsea man playing again before the season is over.
Havertz's last appearance for Arsenal came the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United, prior to which he registered 20 goal contributions in his first 33 matches of the season.
Arteta will deliver an update on his injured troops in Friday's press conference, although it would be a surprise to see Havertz risked from the first whistle in Sunday's second vs. third battle.
Furthermore, the Arsenal boss has already been told to rest Rice for the remainder of the season, while Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring), Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Jorginho (chest) remain absent.
Arsenal handed Gabriel Martinelli scare in open training
Update: He has returned to the session! pic.twitter.com/UkaYEqy5cS
— Dan Critchlow (@afcDW) May 14, 2025
As well as the triple boost, Arteta also suffered one scare on Wednesday, as Gabriel Martinelli was briefly forced to leave training after picking up a knock.
However, the Brazil international was then able to return and participate in the remainder of the session, suggesting that he has not suffered anything more serious than a minor scare.
Martinelli's availability is of paramount importance this weekend, as Mikel Merino is suspended after his sending-off at Anfield, while it remains to be seen if Trossard and Havertz are passed fit.
If not, Arteta will have to field one of Ethan Nwaneri, Kieran Tierney or Raheem Sterling on the left-hand side, unless he unexpectedly hands a first senior start to embryonic striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.
Meanwhile, either Oleksandr Zinchenko or Myles Lewis-Skelly will be expected to cover for Merino in midfield if Rice is not able to take part from the first whistle.
Ben Knapton
