Arsenal have picked up a couple new injuries during this festive period. The EFL Cup quarterfinal extra time win over Crystal Palace came with a price, as forward Gabriel Martinelli had to be subbed off, with an unspecified injury. It is a knock of some sort, and he’s a 50/50 proposition for Saturday against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Also, defender Piero Hincapie is a doubt for the weekend, having missed out against Palace.
Festive Fixtures FYIs
Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Kickoff: Sat. Dec. 27th, 3pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 69% Draw 19% Brighton win 12%
Premier League Standings, Form: Arsenal 1st, 39 pts, DWLWW Brighton 9th, 24 pts, WLDLD
Gunners Team News
Hincapie got hurt last weekend, in the pragmatic win over Everton, last week. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the following on Tuesday night, in his postgame press conference:
“With Piero, yeah, something different because he picked up an injury against Everton.”
As for Martinelli, Arteta said the following, during the same media session: “Martinelli is more of a knock, and he wasn’t comfortable to carry on after the second half.”
Otherwise, the situation remains the same- Cristhian Mosquera, Kai Havertz, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Max Dowman remain sidelined due to injuries.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.