Declan Rice return hint, Saka joy - Three things spotted in Arsenal training before Sporting CP

Mikel Arteta very nearly had the full complement of his Arsenal squad out for training at London Colney on Monday before the Champions League clash against Sporting CP. The Gunners have been significantly hampered by injury problems in the first few months of the season, though the issues have lessened in recent weeks.

Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori have all returned to action ahead of the busy festive period with Declan Rice on the bench for the clash against Nottingham Forest after pulling out of England duty for Nations League fixtures over the November international break.

Some players are still missing however, with Ben White expected to be out for the next few months. The depth of Arsenal's squad though was shown over the weekend, though, with Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri all contributing to the 3-0 victory this past Saturday.

Up next for the Gunners is a European clash in Portugal against Sporting, who beat Manchester City 4-1 just a few weeks ago. With that being said, football.london has taken a look at the major talking points spotted from Monday's session.

Rice return hint

Arteta will be keen to have Rice back in his starting XI for the Champions League game against Sporting. Jorginho started the Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon but picked up a yellow card which saw him replaced by Thomas Partey at half time.

The Arsenal boss opting to keep Rice on the bench could be telling of his condition, though it could actually be because he wants him at full fitness for Tuesday's clash. The chances of that scenario being the case looks to have taken a hit, judging by a few pictures from training.

For a small-sided game, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino were on the same team with Partey and Gabriel Martinelli wearing orange bibs and on the other team. Based on recent calls, it is far more likely the latter duo are not chosen in Arteta's starting XI. Based on that, as Rice was wearing a bib, that could suggest he will remain out of the team.

Saka joy

Arsenal fans would have been delighted to see Saka back on the score sheet for the first time in nearly one month. Hopefully free of injury, the 23-year-old will be aiming to reach a new level with it clear his enjoyment in training is helping towards that.

From the images uploaded to Arsenal's official website, Saka is pictured with a huge smile on his face, celebrating alongside Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Triple injury update

From the players out on the grass for an open training session, it was clear to see who exactly would be available for selection to face Sporting. White was understandably not present with Takehiro Tomiyasu also ruled out and expected to remain absent for a significant period.

No new injury blows being obvious is also a major plus for Arteta with Kieran Tierney back out for another session and he appears set for a first Arsenal matchday squad appearance in over 18 months.

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