Arsenal's preparations for the huge Premier League clash against Liverpool are complete.
Just like before any fixture, Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff put the Gunners' first-team squad through their paces during a training session at London Colney on Saturday, with media footage released to get fans in the mood for an afternoon kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.
And perhaps the big takeaway from the session was one notable absentee, as Oleksandr Zinchenko wasn't spotted in the batch of images. Now, it should be noted that this doesn't necessarily mean he has been ruled out for Arsenal against Liverpool, as this was the case prior to the Manchester United game last month, and he, of course, started at Old Trafford.
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Furthermore, central defender William Saliba wasn't spotted in any of the pre-match training images ahead of the 3-0 win over Brentford before the international break but was named in the starting line-up and proceeded to cap off an outstanding performance with a goal.
Whether the Gunners are repeating the same trick remains to be seen, but Arteta did reveal that he would have a clearer indication with regards to which players would be available for selection against Liverpool after the final training session: "No, we will have more tomorrow," he said. "We have another training session tomorrow, and we will know more tomorrow."
Well, with Zinchenko not pictured at London Colney on Saturday, it would be safe to assume he won't be featuring against the Reds. But considering he made the starting line-up despite not being spotted in last week's session prior to the North London Derby win over Tottenham and what happened before the Man United game, means it's still very much a guessing game.
But for the rest of the Arsenal squad - aside from injured midfield pair Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny - it was back to work at London Colney after the 3-0 win over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night and below is what else football.london spotted from the latest session.
All smiles
From Ben White to Eddie Nketiah, the Arsenal players appeared to be in a relaxed mood ahead of the Liverpool fixture. Captain Martin Odegaard looked overjoyed as he grabbed a piggyback off Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes experienced the same with Fabio Vieira.
Arteta did say that facing the Reds is a big opportunity for his side, and it seems his squad are relishing the task ahead: "Every game is the same," the Spaniard told reporters. "Obviously, this is a big match. It's a fixture that everybody is looking for against an opponent that, in the last five or six years, has shown the level that they have. We have to show against those opponents that we have raised the level, and we're ready to compete against them."
Youngster called up
A regular feature in Arsenal training sessions ever since Arteta was appointed are the youngsters that are involved. On occasions, this season, the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Lino Sousa, Matt Smith, Reuell Walters, Taylor Foran and Amario Cozier-Duberry have all earned call-ups.
But with the U21s in action against Tottenham earlier in the day, not too many of the club's brightest prospects were present for the session ahead of the Liverpool game. Although, Bradley Ibrahim did receive a call-up as he was tasked with keeping tabs on the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos.
Saliba pictured
William Saliba looks set to feature for Arsenal against Liverpool after being rested in midweek. Of course, this will be the first time he comes up against Virgil van Dijk - a player he has been compared to quite a lot - although Arteta has attempted to tamper with those suggestions.
"Wow, that's a big question!" was the Spaniard's response when asked if the Frenchman can reach the heights the Dutchman has hit ever since his move to Anfield. "I'm really happy with where he is at the moment. He's Saliba, he's no one else, and he needs to make his own career."
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