Arsenal have no shortage of injury concerns ahead of their weekend Premier League fixture, a tough trip to Aston Villa. Whether this is techincally the “festive period” or not, “fixture congestion” is definitely already here. The matches are coming thick and fast, for every team, and all of the added workload is taking a toll on the players. Injury concerns are piling up, starting with Declan Rice, who is a strong doubt for Saturday, with a calf/shin/heel problem.
Manager Mikel Arteta gave the following update yesterday: “Declan had to come off, we don’t know, we’ll have to see tomorrow what he’s got.”
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Cristhian Mosquera is in the same category as Declan Rice, as he’s got an injury that is either in the knee or the ankle, according to Arteta. The manager said:
“We have to wait and see. It’s probably the knee or ankle. We don’t know. He could not really tell us exactly how it was, but he wasn’t able to continue.”
Meanwhile Leandro Trossard (undisclosed) and William Saliba (knock) are also both in the “needs to pass a late fitness test” designation, in order to make the matchday squad here. So we’ll see what happens there with the Brazilian forward and French central defender.
And then finally, Gabriel Magalhaes (groin/pelvic/hip) and Kai Havertz (knee) are still on track to return later this month.
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.