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Arsenal friendly plans with Reading revealed amid FA Cup weekend

By Ross Kennerley

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on January 23, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on January 23, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal squad are back in north London after enjoying a much-needed break from action having spent a week over in Dubai for warm weather training.

After a torrid start to 2022 that saw the Gunners fail to win a single of their five matches in January, get knocked out of two competitions and score just the solitary goal, a chance to recharge the batteries was taken.

Add to that the failure to land any of their transfer targets in the winter window and as far as months go, January was pretty horrendous.

Hence why the camp in Dubai was so important. Not only did it give the squad chance to build up the fitness so many of them clearly lacked over January, it was also perfect opportunity to connect more as a group and take minds as far away from the Premier League as possible.

Arsenal friendly plans with Reading revealed after FA Cup regret as Mikel Arteta’s side prepare for behind-closed-doors clash

They might have not sanctioned the trip away were it not for their failings earlier in the year.

Arteta’s stretched squad slumped to a miserable 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup, eliminating them from the competition at the first hurdle. With the fourth round taking place this weekend it will means Arsenal fans will have to wait even longer to see the team back in action when they face Wolves on February 10.

To account for that regret the club have arranged a behind-closed-doors friendly with Reading, a match Charles Watts reveals won’t be an especially serious encounter. The Royals were also knocked out of the FA Cup at the third round stage with a shock defeat at Kidderminster, making them ideal opponents for raise match fitness levels.

The game will be played over the weekend – likely on Saturday – at London Colney, with the vast majority of the squad available to take part in a much-needed run around.

It will act similarly to the games they played across the summer, and at this moment in time it isn’t expected to be broadcast like some of the other ones. For the most part it will be just that: a behind-closed-doors friendly.

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By contrast, Wolves will be hosting Norwich in the FA Cup fourth round for a more competitive build-up game to the huge meeting at Molineux, so ideally Arteta will be fielding as full strength of a side as he can against the struggling Championship outfit.

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