A high number of key players missed out for Arsenal yesterday, against Southampton FC in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and the result was a humiliating 2-1 loss, and with it, an exit from the tournament. Some players were substantially or seriously injured (Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie) while others (Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka) were held out for precautionary reasons, getting rest for the cause of being fully match fit when the bigger and more important games come. The trebles hopes are dashed, but ambitions for a double remain.
Arsenal at Sporting Lisbon FYIs
Kick: Tues April 7, 5:45pm Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
Competition: Champions League Quarterfinal, Leg 1/2
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 53% Draw 26% Sporting Lisbon 21%
Arsenal Team News
Let’s start with Gabriel, who suffered a knee injury yesterday, and had to be replaced in the 72nd minute.
“I don’t know,” Arteta said in postgame yesterday.
“I think he felt something – I don’t know exactly what it is. We’re going to have to assess him – but obviously, when a player is asking to be substituted, it’s never good news.”
So there is no timeline right now on Gabriel right now, but it doesn’t sound good. Elsewhere the unspecified injury to Hincapie is apparently serious but Arteta wouldn’t say much beyond that.
Rice and Saka missed out on the weekend, due to minutes management, as it appears both are seemingly nursing knocks right now.
It’s hard to say exactly what is going on right now, as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta had been intentionally cryptic about both.
However, it is widely understood that both will be back in the fold come Tuesday. Trossard (hip/groin/pelvic area) could also be back in midweek while Eze (calf/shin/heel) will not.
“Ebz is out,” Arteta said on Friday.
“I cannot put a finger [on a RTP timeframe] because I don’t know – he’s a special character.”
Jurrien Timber (who has a somewhat similar problem to Eze) faces a late fitness test as well.
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, Ratings 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 and the Washington Post.