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Football London
Football London
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Bailey Keogh

Three Arsenal youngsters given PSV chance by Mikel Arteta amid Zinchenko and Martinelli worry

Arsenal have trained for the last time ahead of their second home match in the Europa League group stage this season. Mikel Arteta's side are set to face PSV Eindhoven with the hope of maintaining their momentum after a crucial victory against Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arteta will be hoping for a similar outcome on Thursday evening to the opening group stage game at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal came out comfortable 3-0 winners against FK Bodo/Glimt.

Ahead of the game, football.london understands that Khayon Edwards, Catalin Cirjan, and Maldini Kacurri all trained with the first team ahead of the Gunners' clash with PSV. Kacurri is a player for the under-18s, while Edwards and Cirjan have frequently featured for the Arsenal under-21s this season.

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Arsenal under-21s were excellent against Northampton Town on Tuesday night as Mehmet Ali's side came back from a goal behind to win 3-1 and the victory meant that the Gunners go joint-top of their Papa Johns Trophy group. So, it comes as no surprise that all players who took part in this group have not been taken under consideration to train with the first team.

Last week, 19-year-old striker Edwards was present at the final senior training session ahead of the flight out to Norway as Arsenal took on FK Bodo/Glimt for a second consecutive week. The youngster came in to replace Gabriel Jesus who was rested after suffering a knock against Liverpool in the previous Premier League fixture.

However, ahead of the match against PSV, Jesus has returned to training but Edwards was still selected to train with the senior squad. This could highlight a potential matchday involvement for the young Arsenal striker.

With Arsenal short in the midfield department following the injury suffered to Mohamed Elneny, it comes as no surprise that Cirjan was involved with the first-team in training. The young midfielder has already featured in training for the Gunners this season.

Kucurri is naturally a centre-back, but with Zinchenko potentially missing Arteta could use Takehiro Tomiyasu as a left-back option and that opens a space in the middle of defence for the youngster to slot in. The youngster has played in five under-18 Premier League matches this season after joining the club in April following his release from Fulham in the last campaign.

With Arsenal midway through a hectic October schedule, where nine games are being played, it is a great opportunity for youngsters to get game time. Edwards, Cirjan, and Kacurri's inclusion in the final training session before the clash against PSV could hint at their inclusion in the match.

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