Arsenal have reportedly included William Saliba in their travelling squad for Wednesday's Champions League clash against Slavia Prague.

Following almost four months out with the back injury he exacerbated at the World Cup, Saliba returned to full Arsenal training earlier this week.

The 25-year-old was filmed in Tuesday's open practice session, joining in with his teammates at London Colney and appearing in extremely good spirits ahead of his comeback.

Saliba has not played a single minute of competitive football this season, though, so Mikel Arteta is expected to adopt a cautious approach when it comes to his re-integration.

Nevertheless, journalist Simon Collings claims that Saliba will be on the plane to Prague, suggesting that the France international could be in line for his first appearance of the season this week.

William Saliba 'included' in travelling Arsenal squad for Slavia Prague

Look who's back. https://t.co/9Eqfol79Zm

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 3, 2026

Arteta is expected to hold a pre-game press conference this evening after Arsenal land in the Czech Republic, at which point he will no doubt be quizzed for an update on Saliba.

HandofArsenal previously reported that the former Saint-Etienne starlet was in contention to face Slavia Prague, having completed a 'colossal' recovery since the World Cup semi-finals.

Saliba went into the 2026 Mundial carrying the issue, but he was still a regular starter for Les Bleus before having to come off in the 30th minute of their semi-final loss to Spain.

Arsenal and Saliba decided not to go down the surgical route and instead favoured a conservative treatment programme, but there were fears that the centre-back may have missed the remainder of 2027.

However, Saliba's return to individual training last month fuelled the belief that a November return was possible, albeit most likely after the upcoming international break.

Now, the Frenchman could make a quicker-than-expected comeback from the most serious injury of his career so far, one that occurred after he played 50 games for Arsenal in the 2025-26 season.

What does William Saliba's return mean for Ezri Konsa?

Barring an exceptional and last-minute Arsenal injury crisis in defence, Saliba will only be on the bench at the Fortuna Arena, as Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes continue in front of David Raya.

Konsa has stepped in seamlessly for Saliba during the Frenchman's absence, so much so that Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner recently hailed the Konsa-Gabriel pairing at the best centre-back partnership in the world after Arsenal's 1-0 win at the City Ground.

The ex-Aston Villa man has barely put a foot wrong in red and white thus far, but if Saliba - four-time PFA Team of the Year member and 2026 Ballon d'Or nominee - regains his top level, there is no questioning his spot in the XI.

However, Konsa's tremendous form and the presence of Cristhian Mosquera means that Arsenal can be as careful as they wish with Saliba's re-integration into first-team football.