Arsenal have been preparing for Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Bodo/Glimt.
The Gunners are loving life at the minute, sitting top of the Premier League table.
In addition, Mikel Arteta’s charges have bragging rights in North London after beating Tottenham at the weekend.
Likewise, Arsenal have got off to a good start in the Europa League, beating FC Zurich 2-1 a month ago.
Now, Gunners fans will see European football at the Emirates Stadium for the first time this season.
On Thursday, the 2021 Norwegian champions come to town hoping to take points off Arteta’s charges.
With Liverpool coming to town on Sunday, Arsenal may well make some changes against Bodo/Glimt.
And one Gunners player is set to get his opportunity to shine.
Reiss Nelson hasn’t played a competitive game for Arsenal since coming off the bench against Brentford in the first game of last season.
The “electrifying” 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Feyenoord and was linked with another move away this summer.
However, Nelson remained at Arsenal, and speaking ahead of the Bodo/Glimt match, Arteta dropped a hint about the winger’s chances of game time.
“After the spell that he had last year on loan, we wanted him back to see if there are any changes and there’s a prospect that we can really take to the next level,” he told the Arsenal website.
“We think the potential is there and we think we’ve seen something in Reiss that is special.
“He’s been a part of our academy system and now he’s going to have an opportunity. He’s been out for almost three months with an injury, he’s back now, he’s fully fit and he’s ready to play. He just needs minutes now.”
This is great news for Arsenal fans, as Nelson is an exciting young player who just needs a chance to show what he can do.
Arteta has shown great patience with players who have gone on to shine – William Saliba to name but one.
And perhaps Thursday will see Nelson burst back into the manager’s first-team plans.