The bad news for Arsenal FC is that they have yet another injury to a very key player, in William Saliba. The good news is that the injury situation is only quite minor. The Frenchman just has a knock on his thigh.
“Saliba misses out with a minor issue,” Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said, in reference to the central defender’s status for midweek. Saliba will miss out on Wednesday, but he’ll be back next weekend.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 7 of 8
Arsenal FC vs Dinamo Zagreb
Kickoff: Wed. Jan. 22, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London , UK
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UCL Standings, Form: Arsenal 3rd, 13 pts, WWLWW Dinamo Zagreb 24th, 8 pts, DWWLD
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Elsewhere in the back line, Riccardo Calafiori is still touch and go with injury/fitness issues. He’s a doubt for the continental clash versus Dinamo Zagreb. Said Arteta, in regards to the Italian international that was signed this summer:
“We have a few decisions to make this afternoon with the medical staff to understand whether they are in the best condition for this game or the next one, so we’ll decide that.” Finally, in case you missed it, Gabriel Jesus does officially have an ACL tear, and it has been confirmed that he is out until next season.
Unfortunately, it could be well into next season too.
Otherwise the squad fitness and availability situation remains the same, with the long-term injury absentees: Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.