Viktor Gyokeres will replace Gabriel Jesus in the Arsenal starting lineup when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday.
Arsenal will aim to reopen the six-point gap atop the Premier League table when they lock horns with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday night. Mikel Arteta has a new injury concern to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kai Havertz is the latest absentee after sustaining a muscular injury in the Premier League game against Sunderland this past weekend. Additionally, Arteta has been sweating over the fitness of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard, with the trio recovering from minor issues.
However, Mikel Merino (foot) remains in the treatment room, with Max Dowman (ankle) also unavailable for the time being. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Odegaard, Trossard, Saka, Merino, and Dowman.
The Arsenal manager said, “[Bukayo, Martin and Leandro], we will see. Max is still not available. However, he’s doing very well. I think he will be with us in a week or so, and then he can pick up the rhythm and be available for us. I think the doctors were really happy with the way [Merino’s surgery] went.”
“Now it’s the start of obviously a long process, we’re talking about bone healing. So, we’ll respect the timings, and I’m sure he’s going to do everything he possibly can to speed up that recovery. The timeframes, we’re talking about months – whether it’s three, four or five, we don’t know.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brentford on Thursday.
