Mikel Arteta confirmed injuries to Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus ahead of the Sheffield United clash, while Kai Havertz could lead the line for Arsenal.
Arsenal will aim to keep up the pressure at the top of the table and will aim for a win when Sheffield United come to visit the Emirates. Mikel Arteta could slightly tinker his squad from the midweek victory over Sevilla after the Gunners suffered fresh injury blows.
Speaking at his pre-game press conference, Arteta delivered the news on Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus. He stated the duo could miss a few weeks of action with muscle problems, as he could ponder tweaks with his starting lineup against Sheffield United.
Starting with Partey, who suffered a fresh injury a day before the Sevilla clash. The outcome will come as a bitter blow to Arteta, who was keen to reintegrate the Ghanaian into the first team setup ahead of a crunch period of the season. The manager also confirmed it was not a recurrence of the problem that sidelined him for over a month.
On his injury, Arteta said, “He’s got a muscle injury and we are expecting him to be out for a few weeks. We don’t really know the extent of it and he has more tests today but he picked up that injury in a training session with the last kick of the ball before Sevilla, so very unfortunate.”
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If Partey’s injury dealt a blow to Arteta’s plans, then Jesus’s problem is more frustrating than anything for the manager and fans. It is the second instance that the Brazilian seemed like he was returning to his sharp self, only for another injury to hamper his progress. The Gunners boss confirmed it as a muscle problem but could not provide an exact timeline on his return.
Arteta continued, “The scan shows that there is a muscle injury and we might lose him for a few weeks again. With Gabby I cannot give you any time frame because he always surprises us, but there is something there.”
“He felt in a really awkward action and it’s true that he had quite a lot of load in the last few weeks with the national team and then playing those games, which he hasn’t done in a long, long time. That’s really bad news for us.”
Other than the duo, Arteta has a full squad at his disposal, with those previously injured now fully fit and ready to fire. Despite another wave of criticism over his performances in midweek, David Raya will remain in goal instead of Aaron Ramsdale.
Arteta will also restore the backline that started the game at Stamford Bridge, even though Takehiro Tomiyasu put in a solid performance in Seville. Still, the game state might require the Japanese international to come in as a substitute and Oleksandr Zinchenko in his position at left-back.
The only other change that Arteta might make to the team from midweek is the introduction of Kai Havertz in the central striker role. The German has come on as a substitute in his last three games and featured in that role as opposed to a midfield berth. Beyond that, Jorginho, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard will continue in the midfield. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will complete the attacking setup, with Havertz leading the line for the Gunners.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
