Arteta stated that his Arsenal men could be without as many as four players this weekend, with Alex Lacazette‘s availability still uncertain. The Gunners were without Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney last weekend.
In the past, Arsenal have faced bigger games without as many players as they do now. However, this squad is thin and the absence of key players means these injuries are having a greater impact than losing just three players would.
There has been little or no indication of the return of Thomas Partey until Friday when Arteta said the season was over. Granit Xhaka is expected to play in the middle alongside Nuno Tavares. According to the manager, the Ghanaian’s injury may be worse than initially believed. His participation in the season is now in doubt, despite him working hard to return.
Lacazette may also miss the match this weekend, although the manager was unable to provide an explanation for the captain’s absence. Arteta has expressed optimism about his chances of playing against St. Mary’s.
Arteta speaks on Arsenal players unavailability
The boss told Arsenal Media in his pre-match conference:
“Obviously there are private reasons that I cannot comment on. But I have no other team news to give other than the guys we have discussed.“ We will see if he’s available.
That’s likely to be the case. In the event that Laca is unable to make it in time, Eddie Nketiah would be a serious choice given he is the only natural striker remaining in the squad. However, some fans would prefer that Gabriel Martinelli be given the opportunity to start in attack.
After missing a few of the key training sessions ahead of the match. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lacazette didn’t start. He could well be more impactful coming on as a sub, especially if he can motivate the crowd as we strive to win. How much of a blow would it be to lose Laca on top of our absences already this weekend?
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