Arsenal stayed top of the table yesterday, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in a Sunday London derby. However, the victory came at an injury cost, as four players are now doubtful for the next match. William Saliba (unspecified issue) did not return for the second half while Declan Rice (ankle) and Riccardo Calafiori (knock) had to be subbed off due to injury.
Things went from bad to worse when Gabriel Martinelli (muscle tightness), who came off the bench, couldn’t finish the game either, due to a knock.
League Cup 4th Round FYIs
Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Kickoff: Wed. Oct. 29th, 8:45pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Gunners Team News
Here is what manager Mikel Arteta had to say about it in postgame.
“Well, the first one was Willy that obviously had to be out after the first half, Declan as well was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took, and who was the other one? Ricky. As well. So yeah, let’s see how that will go.”
Arteta also added the following:
“On Willy there are two things related to his substitution and with Declan I don’t really know because it was a knock. But I don’t know if it was the calf or the Achilles or what exactly it was.”
As Wednesday’s match against Brighton is a League Cup clash, no members of this foursome will be risked. Even if they are passed as match fit, there is really no reason to play any of them in this match.
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. 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