Mikel Arteta revealed four Arsenal names who could return to action against Portsmouth on Monday night.
Arsenal are due to take on the League One outfit for their FA Cup fifth round tie.
Arteta has mainly gone with a fixed set of players in defence and in attack in recent games. This game will be a chance for him to rotate the squad and give some of the senior players a breather.
“Yes, I think he (Pablo Mari) needed minutes,” the Spaniard said. “Like Rob (Holding) did, like Ainsley (Maitland-Niles) and like Reiss (Nelson) as well.
“I think it was a good game for them to get their fitness levels tested as well and they trained today really well. They are all, I think, ready to play.”
Pablo Mari arrived on loan from Flamengo during the winter transfer window. He is yet to make his debut for the Gunners after recovering from an injury. Even without seeing him in action, some reports claim that Arsenal might activate a permanent deal for him.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has fallen behind Hector Bellerin in the pecking order. He has a chance to impress at right-back while Reiss Nelson could feature ahead of him. Rob Holding’s shaky outing against Leeds United in the previous round saw him get dropped in important games.
Overall, Arteta will be looking to see how these players respond in this crucial tie. After dropping out of the Europa League, the North Londoners only have the FA Cup as their chance for silverware this season.
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