World Cup 2018: 9 Arsenal Players at the tournament

The World Cup is all set to begin in a little more than just a week in Russia. All the 32 national teams participating in the tournament have recently announced the 23-man squads that will be representing them in Russia.

There were some shock omissions like Leroy Sane and Icardi and some unexpected inclusions like Alexander-Arnold and Loftus-Cheek. Arsenal had to deal with a few omissions as well. Wilshere did not make the cut for Southgate's 23-man squad. Bellerin could not force himself onto a very talented Spanish plane to Russia. Lacazette is being left behind as Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe will be the main attacking threat for France in Russia.

Shocking, given that Arsenal had a strong representation at the previous World Cup and had three World Cup winners in Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil in 2014. Regardless, the North London club will have a few players in Russia representing their country. Let us take a look at 9 such players.

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#1 Joel Campbell

Joel Campbell will be looking to impress potential suitors in Russia

Joel Campbell spent the entirety of last season on loan at Real Betis in what was his sixth loan spell. Campbell had an injury-plagued season at Betis. A knee injury and a sprained ankle kept the Costa Rican out of action for most of the season. But he did play well when he managed to stay fit, scoring twice and assisting once for Betis in 8 appearances in La Liga.

Campbell has been with Arsenal since 2001 but has never managed to cement a spot for himself in the senior squad. It will be very interesting to see if Unai Emery will have any plans for the young winger, but Campbell is running out of a contract at Arsenal this summer.

Campbell has spoken out about how he would like to be signed permanently by Real Betis. Maybe a strong showing at the World Cup in Russia will go a long way in the move materializing for the 25-year-old.

First Match: Costa Rica v Serbia, June 17th, 1 PM BST

Match to Watch: Brazil v Costa Rica, June 22nd, 1 PM BST

#2 David Ospina

Ospina will be vital for Colombia to progress

Ospina was signed in 2014 by Arsenal to provide some much-needed cover for a very error prone young Wojciech Szczesny. Next season Arsenal signed Chelsea veteran Petr Cech. Cech naturally cemented himself as the No.1 at Arsenal, pushing Ospina down the pecking order.

This season too, Cech was Wenger's preferred choice for Premier League games with Ospina starting in Cup competitions. Although he has started fewer games, the Colombian had a relatively better season at Arsenal compared to his previous few. He had a few good showings in the Europa league.

Ospina would definitely be a starter for Colombia at the World Cup. But he had made a lot of errors for the South American side during their qualifiers, especially two against Paraguay that almost cost them a spot at the tournament. It could maybe be attributed to the lack of regular games for the Colombian shot-stopper at Arsenal, but he needs to stay sharp for Colombia in a group containing Poland, Japan and a tricky fixture against Senegal.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with goalkeepers in this transfer window. Leno and Sergio Rico are being mentioned as prime favorites of Emery and Mislintat. Maybe a good showing in Russia will be enough to convince Emery to keep the Colombian at the North London club next season.

First Match: Colombia v Japan, June 19th, 1 PM BST

Match to Watch: Poland v Colombia, June 24th, 7 PM BST

#3 Mohamed Elneny

Elneny is a strong presence in the Egyptian Midfield

Elneny sustained an ankle ligament injury in April for Arsenal against a game against fellow London side West Ham. He is expected to be fit for Egypt's final friendly against Belgium before the World Cup kicks off.

Elneny has been a strong and reliable presence for Arsenal. Although the Egyptian isn't an automatic starter for Arsenal, he has made 32 appearances for the Gunners and has been rock solid in the midfield.

Egypt is making their appearance in a World Cup after 28 years. Elneny and the rest of Egypt will be holding their breath and hoping that Salah can make a similar recovery and represent the Pharaohs in Russia. Expect Elneny and Salah to give their best to help the North African side progress past a group containing hosts Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay.

First Match: Egypt v Uruguay, June 15th, 1 PM BST

Match to Watch: Russia v Egypt, June 19th, 7 PM BST

#4 Alex Iwobi

Iwobi will enjoy representing Nigeria in his first World Cup

Alex Iwobi has made the 23-man squad for the Nigerian National squad. The young winger is Arsenal through and through.

Iwobi has been a part of the Arsenal youth setup since his primary school days. He progressed through all the levels and finally made it to the senior squad in 2015. His rise to the senior squad has been fabulous but he is yet to cement a spot for himself in the starting 11.

Regardless, Iwobi has been a key player for the Super Eagles. Iwobi has so far made 18 appearances for them and has managed to score 5 times. The young winger is quick on the ball and looks to run into space. He also has an eye for the killer pass which might help the Nigerian forwards get on the score sheet.

Iwobi will play a vital part for the Super Eagles in Russia and he will be giving his best. If he does put in a solid showing, he will definitely make Nigeria and his uncle Jay-Jay Okocha proud. He might also end up impressing Unai Emery, the new Arsenal coach.

First Match: Croatia v Nigeria, June 16th, 8 PM BST

Match to Watch: Nigeria v Iceland, June 22nd, 4 PM BST

#5 Danny Welbeck

Welbeck will be a strong and versatile squad player for England

Danny Welbeck's inclusion in the England squad is something of an enigma. Southgate has a wealth of young attacking options to choose from and yet he has still managed to find a spot for the 27-year old Arsenal forward.

Welbeck is a versatile player. He can play anywhere along the front three positions. He is defensively disciplined. So he can be deployed down the wings. He can be a handful for the center backs if asked to play centrally.

Welbeck is the top scorer in Southgate's 23-man squad going to Russia. He has 15 goals to his name from 37 appearances. Harry Kane is second with 12 goals. Welbeck might not start ahead of the young English forwards like Rashford or Lingard. But he will definitely bring with him a work ethic and some much-needed experience in this relatively young English squad.

First Match: Tunisia v England, June 18th, 7 PM BST

Match to Watch: England v Belgium, June 28th, 7 PM BST

#6 Nacho Monreal

Monreal's versatility might be very useful for La Roja

Nacho Monreal was named in Spain's 23-man squad by Lopetegui. Choosing to exclude Marcos Alonso out to include Monreal has naturally been a divisive decision by Spain.

Nacho Monreal has had an amazing season for Arsenal. Regardless of how poorly the team performed, Monreal always shone for the North London side. Monreal is an experienced player and is very well balanced, both in attack and defense. He managed to even score 6 goals for Arsenal in 38 appearances across all competitions.

Wenger deployed Monreal mostly as a center back last season. Although the decision was initially heavily criticised, Monreal performed marvelously as a central defender. Maybe it was this versatility that led to Monreal's inclusion in the Spanish squad.

Lopetegui has played a back three a couple of times during the qualifiers. Monreal would definitely fit into the left side of a back three alongside Ramos and Pique. Regardless, it will be very exciting to watch Monreal play and hopefully win the World Cup with La Roja.

First Match: Portugal v Spain, June 15th, 7 PM BST

Match to Watch: Portugal v Spain, June 15th, 7 PM BST

#7 Granit Xhaka

Xhaka might deputize as vice-captain for the Swiss National side

Granit Xhaka had a hot and cold season with Arsenal. He started the season rather poorly. Xhaka's failure to follow his man's run led to way too many goals against Arsenal. Once is acceptable. But the same mistake was made against Swansea, Bournemouth, Watford and Manchester United.

But to his credit, Xhaka finished the season strongly. His performance against Athletico Madrid was definitely one to remember. The Swiss midfielder is a strong player who has been brought into Arsenal to fix Arsenal's defensive woes. In all honesty, Elneny is a more capable defense-minded midfielder. Xhaka is actually better offensively. His passing range allows him to start counter-attacks and attacking plays.

Xhaka is yet to win over the Arsenal faithful after 2 years at the North London club. But Xhaka is a vital player in the Swiss midfield. He might even captain the side in Russia if Lichtsteiner isn't given the armband. Arsenal midfield might undergo a revamp under Emery. Expect Xhaka to give his best for his Country at the World Cup and possibly impress Emery and pin down a position for himself in the Arsenal midfield as well.

First Match: Brazil v Switzerland, June 17th, 7 PM BST

Match to Watch: Serbia v Switzerland, June 22nd, 7 PM BST

#8 Stephan Lichtsteiner

Lichtsteiner has recently joined Arsenal from Juventus

This entry in the list is a rather unique entry. Lichtsteiner is an Arsenal player officially. But he is yet to have played a single match for the North London side.

The Swiss right-back had spent 7 years at Juventus where he won 7 consecutive Serie A titles. Lichtsteiner recently joined Arsenal on a free transfer this summer to provide cover to Bellerin and also aide in the progress of the young Spaniard.

Lichtsteiner will possibly captain the Swiss National side in Russia. Lichtsteiner has 99 caps with the Swiss national squad and will become a centurion at the World Cup. He will be an important player for the Swiss side, bringing in a wealth of experience and winning mentality.

Switzerland have a tricky group to navigate. They have been drawn with favorites Brazil, Serbia and Costa Rica. Switzerland will need to rely on their skipper and his composed style of play to help them maneuver their way out of this group in Russia.

First Match: Brazil v Switzerland, June 17th, 7 PM BST

Match to Watch: Serbia v Switzerland, June 22nd, 7 PM BST

#9 Mesut Özil

Özil has already won a World Cup while at Arsenal and will be gunning for his second in Russia

Mesut Özil won the previous World Cup with Germany in Brazil. The Arsenal playmaker is a divisive player among the Arsenal faithful, but he is a definite starter in a very talented German side.

Özil's ability on the ball is unparalleled. His vision and passing ability make him one of the best playmakers playing the game at this moment. Although his style of play reduces the pace of the game, for which he is heavily criticised at Arsenal, his style of play complements those of his fellow countrymen in the National side.

Özil is currently recuperating from a bruised knee he sustained in a friendly game against Austria. He is struggling to be fit for the first game which is to be played on the 17th of June. Expect Özil to gun for his second World Cup in Russia.

Özil can move anywhere in the midfield and will be supported by a very strong pivot in Toni Kroos. His playmaking skills will be vital for Germany to find the goals, as they head into the tournament with no in-form striker. They have to rely on the experience of Mario Gomez, the youthful exuberance of Timo Werner and the sheer quality of Thomas Muller and Marco Reus.

First Match: Germany v Mexico, June 17th, 4 PM BST

Match to Watch: Germany v Sweden, June 23rd, 7 PM BST