Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Arsenal XI vs Barcelona: Rice absent, starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest for friendly tonight

Arsenal have been boosted by the return to fitness of Leandro Trossard but Declan Rice was missing for tonight’s pre-season clash against Barcelona.

Trossard last week picked up a knock during Arsenal’s 5-0 win over an MLS All Stars, being withdrawn after 56 minutes and subsequently missing the loss to Manchester United.

“He got a knock and obviously we don’t want to take any risks at this stage,” said Gunners manager Mikel Arteta after the game.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ARSENAL VS BARCELONA LIVE!

“He had some pain, but I don’t expect it to be anything big.”

Rice was missing from the squad, however, after making his debut against MLS All-Stars and then playing against United.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, meanwhile, has been sidelined since picking up a calf injury during last season’s run-in. The versatile defender returned to training on Monday, undergoing individual work as he slowly works his way back up to full fitness.

The Ukrainian hopes to be fit for the start of the Premier League season in just over two weeks’ time, so will not be risked against LaLiga champions Barcelona in Los Angeles.

Last season’s Premier League runners-up have endured a pre-season of mixed results so far, drawing 1-1 with Nurnberg, beating MLS All Stars XI 5-0, but losing 2-0 to rivals United on Saturday.

Confirmed team news

Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Christensen, Marcos Alonso; Oriol Romeu, Pedri, Gündogan; Raphinha, Abde; Lewandowski

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus

Doubts: Rice

Injured: Zinchenko

Time and date: 3.30am BST, Thursday, 27, 2023

Venue: SoFi Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.