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Why Viktor Gyokeres isn't starting for Arsenal vs Tottenham as Mikel Arteta makes big call

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Viktor Gyokeres started on the bench for Arsenal's final pre-season match of their Asian tour. Taking on Tottenham Hotspur, Kai Havertz began the match as the team's No.9 for the third game in a row.

Gyokeres has participated in a couple of training sessions since his arrival from Sporting CP was confirmed at the weekend. He was watched by thousands of Arsenal fans in Hong Kongand delighted those watching with a couple of goals during the drills.

Speaking after Sunday's win over Newcastle, Mikel Arteta was coy about whether he would be involved in the game. He cited that if the striker passed the right checks, he could be involved.

READ MORE: Arsenal confirmed team vs Tottenham - Gyokeres sub, Norgaard and Martinelli start, Timber absent

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"Well I think he hasn't had a single training session with the team since the last game with Sporting when they became champions," he said. "So we will assess him tomorrow; he's done all the medicals, everything is looking good but to get him up to speed with the right levels of fitness I think is very important.

"So we're not going to stop him, we want him with us as quick as possible but we'll have to assess and the medical team will do that."

The hope is that Gyokeres will indeed play some part of the game with Spurs. You can follow all the coverage on our live matchday blogwith score updates and highlights from the match as we bring you coverage of the tour in Hong Kong.

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