Arsenal could have up to seven players unavailable for their FA Cup clash with Liverpool....For More CONTINUE THE FULL READING▶▶
The Gunners will hope to use the cup competition as a route to get back to winning ways, away from the pressures that come with the Premier League title race. Arsenal have won just one of their last five games, falling to back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Fulham in the process.
The Gunners are set to welcome Liverpool to the Emirates on Sunday, who are currently five points clear of Arsenal in the league table. The FA Cup tie will offer Mikel Arteta’s side a chance to produce a statement performance against their title rivals but could be without several key players at the weekend.
Bukayo Saka is among those whose fitness is a doubt ahead of the Liverpool game. It was recently reported that the 22-year-old is managing an Achilles problem, while it has also been claimed that the club have spoken to refereeing body PGMOL about clamping down on opposing teams’ treatment of the winger.
It will be interesting to see whether Arteta will choose to rest Saka for the cup tie but the Arsenal boss appeared to be unfazed when asked about both Saka and Gabriel Martinelli’s recent dip in form.
“I don’t know, obviously there are a lot of games, but they looked really good, they looked fresh and when you win you don’t look at that,” Arteta replied. “They are young – if they were 35 then maybe it’s a different question. They have a lot of energy, they can keep going, that’s for sure.”
Ben White is another Arsenal man who may be rested against Liverpool. football.london understands that the versatile defender is still managing the knee problem that saw him miss Arsenal’s win over Burnley in November, despite continuing to be named in the starting XI.
The Gunners are set to be without Takehiro Tomiyasu for around a month as he competes in the Asian Cup with Japan. One player who has missed out on an international call-up, though, is Thomas Partey, who was not included in Ghana’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations as he recovers from thigh surgery.
When asked about Partey’s fitness, Ghana boss Chris Hughton explained: “I’ve spent a lot over this period of time with Thomas and also engaging with the medical staff at Arsenal Football Club. They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him and the biggest injury that he’s had.
“The most important thing for me as head coach and our association is to give him the support that he needs through this period of time. From all the information that we’ve been given, the timelines of his recovery and the caution that will be taken, will not meet our timelines for the AFCON.”
Oleksandr Zinchenko could also be sidelined for Liverpool’s visit to north London. The full-back was absent for Arsenal’s recent defeat to Fulham and Arteta was coy about the extent of his injury.
“We don’t know. He felt something in his calf,” the Arsenal boss said. “We will scan him tomorrow and see how far he’s going to miss games.”
