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Arsenal news: Emery and Ozil concoct training ground plan as Koscielny targets Qarabag
ARSENAL manager Unai Emery was spotted working closely with Mesut Ozil as the German midfielder gets set for a return to action against Qarabag tomorrow (8pm).
Emery will bring Ozil back when he's ready says pundit
Unai Emery is expected to heavily rotate his squad for Arsenal’s final Europa League group game against Qarabag at the Emirates.
The Gunners have already qualified for the knockout stages as group winners and will use the dead rubber as an opportunity to give their fringe players a run-out.
The tie also offers a chance for injured stars such as Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny to be eased back into action following lengthy lay-offs.
Emery was seen barking orders at his Arsenal players during their latest training session at London Colney, with the Spaniard stood close to Ozil as the midfielder looked on.
The Arsenal boss appeared to be demanding the best from his squad as they ran through some passages of play, with Ozil appearing to be the focal point of the Gunners’ drills.
The pictures suggest the 30-year-old will play an important role against Qarabag, having been sidelined for the past three matches with a back injury.
Recent reports have suggested Ozil’s problems have been caused by his love of the video game Fortnite, with the star man’s account having raked up the equivalent of 72 days playing time.
Club captain Koscielny is also set to return, with the Frenchman easing Arsenal’s injury problems in defence.
Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding and both injured while Nacho Monreal has only recently returned from a hamstring injury, so Koscielny’s availability is timely.
Emery has confirmed the veteran centre-back will start against the Azerbaijan side, saying: “We are going to use tomorrow with some different players, with some coming from Under-23s.
“We also start to play with Laurent Koscielny.”
A number of young players were spotted taking part in the latest Gunners session, including the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Tyreece John-Jules, Zech Medley, Buyako Saka and Dominic Thompson.