Wenger could make changes
Arsene Wenger is set to shuffle his pack for the trip to Middlesbrough tomorrow.
Several Arsenal players have been away on international duty since the Gunners beat Fulham 4-1 at Highbury.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Jens Lehmann, Robin van Persie, Philippe Senderos, Freddie Ljungberg – fit again following a knee problem – and Alexander Hleb have all been in action across Europe.
Defender Kolo Toure has been on duty with the Ivory Coast and midfielder Gilberto helped Brazil secure their place in the World Cup next summer with an emphatic victory over Chile.
Wenger, however, reported his travelling contingent all seem ready to return to domestic duties – although he may give some extra time to recover.
“It looks like we are okay,” the Arsenal manager said. “Some players are more tired, some less because the trips are not easy for a few of them. Overall we should have a team in good shape.
“However I will rotate the squad a little bit because some have played two international games. Also we’ll be playing on Wednesday next week and then the Monday after that.”
Wenger is, though, unlikely to gamble on the fitness of Sol Campbell for the trip to the Riverside.
The 30-year-old England centre-back has not featured for the first team since the 2-1 defeat by Birmingham on the final day of last season because of a calf problem, but he has now been in full training for several weeks and had two run-outs for the reserves during the international break.
However, despite playing a full 90 minutes against Leicester and Ipswich, Wenger is determined not to take any chances in recalling Campbell too soon.
“Sol is back to full fitness – he has had two reserve games now, so there is no problem, but he is maybe not competitively fit yet,” Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.
“I have not made up my mind completely, but I don’t think I will play him on Saturday.”
In Campbell’s absence, the Gunners backline has remained fairly tight, conceding just two goals in the Premiership so far, although they were also breached twice by Chelsea in the Community Shield last month.
Senderos hardly put a foot wrong in the second half of last season when he stepped in for his experienced colleague, who was unavailable from February until May because of injury.
However, the 20-year-old was out-muscled by Didier Drogba in Cardiff, before the Ivory Coast striker returned to haunt him at Stamford Bridge on August 21, striking Chelsea’s winner in their league meeting.
Wenger duly dropped Senderos from the starting line-up the 4-1 win against Fulham, when replacement Pascal Cygan scored twice, and it remains to be seen whether he will recall the talented young Switzerland international for the trip to Teesside.
Senderos – whom the Arsenal manager feels can become an “immense player” - scored his first senior goal for his country as Switzerland secured a crucial victory over Cyprus in their World Cup qualifying group on Wednesday night.
Should Campbell not feature against Boro, then he could be included for the opening Champions League match against Swiss outsiders Thun at Highbury next week.
Henry, meanwhile, scored the only goal as France snatched a vital win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday night.
He will have his sights firmly set on becoming Arsenal’s all-time record goalscorer after his double against Fulham last month took him to within one goal of equalling Ian Wright’s total of 185.
“For me, Ian Wright was a legend and still is a legend, so to beat his record would be something really amazing,” reflected Henry.
“But I don’t want to speak too soon because things in football can happen really quickly, so I just want to concentrate and keep scoring goals for my team.”
