Arsenal fans anticipate Reiss Nelson’s appearance against Manchester City

Arsenal may not be in action until Thursday night but Gunners fans will want to tune into the Champions League game between Manchester City and Hoffenheim to catch a glimpse of young star Reiss Nelson.

The attacking midfielder opted to temporarily move away from the Gunners in the summer in search of more first-team minutes and signed on loan for Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

Germany has proven to be fertile ground for young players to thrive with Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund among those starring in the Bundesliga.

So far during his stay in Germany, Nelson has made 15 appearances across three competitions.

He has racked up 484 minutes of playing time and has largely been coming off the bench in recent weeks.

There has been no shortage of creativity though with Nelson scoring six goals and adding one assist to his tally so far. 

Back in October, Nelson admitted a season-long loan was not what he initially had planned for this campaign but says Nagelsmann’s coaching has made it worthwhile so far.

“A loan wasn’t always my first option, but when I heard the Bundesliga and Hoffenheim was an option for me and working with the manager there, it was something I wanted to do,” Nelson told the FA’s website.

“Julian’s a great manager and he’s got belief in young players so it’s a good place for me to go and play.

“He’s [Nagelsmann] very young, he’s only 31 and I think it’s important to go to a team and a coach who believes in you, so he was the main reason because he is willing to play us.” 

Manchester City have already secured top spot in Group F going into the final round of matches while Hoffenheim are currently in fourth place, having won none of their five games so far.

A victory for the Germans and a defeat for Shakhtar Donetsk against Lyon would see them go into the Europa League. 

Pep Guardiola may be forced to give a handful of Manchester City youngsters a major opportunity to impress in their Champions League game against Hoffenheim on Wednesday night.

The reigning Premier League champions are suffering an injury crisis and only have 15 fit senior players available for the European clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Midfield star David Silva has become the latest addition to an injury list that already includes Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo.