Arsenal will be without Gabriel Jesus for the rest of the season, while Riccardo Calafiori could return for the North London Derby.
Arsenal are set to host Tottenham in the latest edition of the North London Derby on Wednesday, and the Gunners are set to be without Gabriel Jesus for the remainder of the season. Mikel Arteta’s side have a depleted attacking setup as they take on Spurs, who have similar problems at the back.
During Arteta’s pre-match press conference, the questions were about Gabriel Jesus as well as the fitness of other players. The Gunners boss confirmed that the Brazilian’s injury did not look good, although he stopped short of confirming it was an ACL rupture.
Arteta said, “We know more now and it’s not looking at all. We need to review with one more specialist, so we will probably have better information this afternoon. I don’t want to confirm anything until we’ve had the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that, but we were very worried straight away after the game and we are very worried today.”
Arsenal’s official website later confirmed the Jesus ACL injury. Meanwhile, there might be good news on Riccardo Calafiori, who missed the Manchester United clash at the weekend. While Arteta kept the cards close to his chest, there is a likelihood that the Italian will return to action against Tottenham.
On Calafiori, Arteta said, “His thing is not much, but again, we need another day or two. We’ve been playing every three days and 24 hours becomes really important because they are not long-term injuries, in that case for example. We will have more understanding this afternoon.”
The Jesus injury aside, Arteta also allayed fears about the fitness of Jorginho and Jurrien Timber, with the pair likely to make the Spurs game. Calafiori might be the only change to the backline as he replaces Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back, as Timber retains his place at right-back.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will assume their roles at the heart of the defence. Declan Rice and Thomas Partey are set to return in midfield following cameos against Manchester United, while Martin Odegaard keeps his place on the right.
Raheem Sterling’s bright display at the weekend might earn him a rare start in the Premier League and one of Arsenal’s biggest games of the season. Leandro Trossard will start on the bench, meaning Gabriel Martinelli takes the left hand side, while Kai Havertz leads the line after a display at the weekend that came in for heavy criticism.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Sterling, Havertz, Martinelli
