Arsenal are off this weekend due to their Premier League fixture against Chelsea being postponed by the FA Cup (where the Blues currently lead Leicester City 2-0 at halftime. Getting this weekend off, plus the March international break, adds up to the Gunners having 19 days off before their massive match at Manchester City commences on Sunday, March 31. As it stands now, the North Londoners only have two injury concerns- Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been coy, some would say even stealth, about injury information pertaining to them. Here is what we actually do know though.
Analyzing Arsenal’s Uefa Champions League Draw: go here
We’ll start with Timber, who suffered an ACL injury shortly into this season. The central defender, who was acquired from Ajax this summer, made only two appearances this season before suffering the serious knee injury.
However, he has participated in some training exercises and looks likely to feature again next month.
Note that it will be towards the back end of the month though. And that has to be considered a major win because initially it was thought that he would be done for the season.
As for Martinelli, he has missed the last two matches, due to a foot injury, and he was spotted on crutches in the mixed zone by reporters in attendance. However, widespread reports claim his injury is not thought to be too serious, so Martinelli could conceivably be in the mix when Arsenal plays City on the final day of the month.
By the time that crunch clash kicks off, it will have been 22 days since Arsenal last played a domestic opponent.
Arsenal are currently top of the table, on goal differential only (+7 on Liverpool) with 64 points while Manchester City are third, with 63 points. We will have the City Injury Updates for you in the next post shortly.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.