Arsenal have been given a boost after head coach Arsene Wenger named Mesut Ozil in his provisional squad ahead of their opening Premier League game of the season against Liverpool.

The North London based outfit take on Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday 14 August.

Ozil was expected to miss the game after not being included for most of the Gunners pre-season friendly game due to an extended break.

Wenger did himself go on the record as saying Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud would not feature against the Reds but while the French international players have been left out the squad, the star playmaker managed to make the cut.

“The Liverpool game will come too early for them,” Wenger was quoted by ESPN as saying after the Gunners’ 8-0 rout of Norwegian side Viking in Stavanger.

Ozil is in the squad but it would still be a surprise to see the Germany international of Turkish origin start against the Reds due to lacking match fitness.

The Gunners face problems in defence with Dan Holding and Chambers expected to start as Wenger faced a headache in defence with Per Mertesacker (knee) and Gabriel (ankle) also out injured.

Arsenal provisional squad: Cech, Ospina, Debuchy, Bellerin, Holding, Chambers, Gibbs, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Xhaka, Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Iwobi, Sanchez, Campbell, Walcott, Akpom.

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