Jurrien Timber has been left out of Arsenal’s matchday squad against Napoli despite travelling to Italy following his return to first-team training.
The Netherlands international had been included in Arsenal’s 23-man travelling party after recovering from the groin problem which has kept him out of competitive action this season.
However, Timber is absent from both Mikel Arteta’s starting XI and substitutes at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Arsenal have instead named Ben White at right-back, while Riccardo Calafiori and 17-year-old Marli Salmon provide defensive cover from the bench.
Timber return put on hold against Napoli
Timber’s absence is notable because his inclusion in the travelling party had raised hopes that he could make his return on Wednesday night.
The Guardian reported before the trip that Timber was back with Arteta’s squad following his groin injury.
ReadArsenal’s full Arsenal travelling squad against Napoli also included Timber among the seven defenders who flew to Italy.
His omission from the final matchday group suggests Arsenal are continuing to manage his return carefully.
There has been no confirmed indication of a fresh setback, so it would be premature to describe this as another injury.
Timber has not played competitively this season after undergoing treatment for the groin problem which also ruled him out of the World Cup.
Arsenal’s latest injury guide before Napoli had tracked Timber alongside William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera, with the latter pair also unavailable on Wednesday.
The situation leaves Arteta with limited defensive depth for Arsenal’s first Champions League fixture of the 2026/27 season.
Marli Salmon is able to feature through UEFA’s youth registration provisions, which are explained in ReadArsenal’s Arsenal squad registration guide.
For Timber, attention will now turn to whether he can make his competitive return against Sunderland on Saturday.
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