Arsenal completed their last training session in Singapore on Monday before flying to Hong Kong on Tuesday morning. The Gunners will face Tottenham on Thursday, looking to make it a clean sweep of victories on their Asian pre-season tour.
There is much excitement about the match beyond it simply being a North London Derby, as it could be the first time fans get a glimpse of some new summer signings. Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera are both yet to make their impact on the tour but are in line to feature.
Arsenal, via their official website, gave us an insight into their final preparations. football.london has gone through the pictures looking for clues as to what we can expect, with a few major updates provided from what we can see.
Gabriel Magalhaes missing
The concerning outcome from the upload is that there remains no sign of Gabriel Magalhaes. Mikel Arteta confirmed that despite playing 45 minutes against Watford in a behind-closed-doors friendly, the Brazilian had felt a tweak in training while in Asia and has not featured since.
The fact he could not be seen with the side on Monday’s session will come as something of a concern to supporters. With less than three weeks until the start of the new season at Old Trafford, Gabriel’s absence in addition to Calafiori – who was spotted but only watching from the sidelines, raises some questions. Jakub Kiwior would be the obvious replacement.
Jurrien Timber boost
Like Gabriel, Jurrien Timber has also been unable to take part in any matches so far. Still recovering from an ankle procedure that was undertaken at the end of the previous campaign, the Dutchman has been replaced in the team by Benjamin White and Josh Nichols for matches.
Arteta had confirmed that Timber was close to making his return. Thankfully, Timber was indeed spotted getting involved with ball-work, a first for a tour and a sign he is nearing a return to action for the club.
Viktor Gyokeres involved
Of course, all the attention is on Gyokeres, who featured heavily in the uploaded photos, alongside fellow summer signing Cristhian Mosquera, who could also make his debut on Thursday. Gyokeres was given his welcome initiation, pictured running through a tunnel of the players giving him a pat on the back.
In one photo, Gyokeres is pictured in opposition to Mosquera and standing among teammates listening to a brief from the coaching staff. No images yet show the Swede participating in shooting drills, but naturally, that is sure to come.
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