Wenger Could Rest Key Arsenal Man Against Barcelona Ahead Of Everton Trip

Laurent Koscielny is fit again after recovering from a calf injury but Arsene Wenger is contemplating resting the defender against Barcelona tomorrow night, according to the Daily Star.

Koscielny has been on the sidelines since our 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last month after suffering a calf injury and has subsequently missed the last four matches in all competitions.

The French international returned to full training late last week and narrowly missed out on making his comeback against Watford in the FA Cup quarter final on Sunday afternoon.

The 30-year-old is now considered fit and available for selection for Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Barcelona at the Nou Camp as we look to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit to reach the quarter finals.

However, the Daily Star claim that Wenger is considering holding the defender back for this weekend’s crucial Premier League trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday lunchtime.

We head to Merseyside off the back of a hugely disappointing run of form and desperately need a win to keep alive our slim hopes of catching leaders Leicester City, so it looks like Arsene may prioritise that match over the Barca game.

It makes sense as we’re almost certainly not going to turn things around at the Nou Camp against a rampant Barcelona team so I’d support Wenger if he decides to rest Koscielny tomorrow night.

The Star say Wenger will make his decision after training today but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gabriel continue alongside Per Mertesacker against the Catalans, while Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal should return in the full-back spots.