Arsenal have all kinds of injury and disciplinary concerns as they prepare to host Newcastle United on Sunday. This is especially so in the final third, and also in the middle of the park. Declan Rice (missed draw at Liverpool with an unspecified muscle injury) and Leandro Trossard (suspected hamstring injury) are both doubtful for the weekend.
Rice trained earlier today, so that’s a great sign. However, on Sunday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta seemed to indicate that the midfield maestro’s season could already be over.
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Kick: Sun. May 18, 4:30pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
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“I think he is struggling, it does not look good,” Arteta said then, of the Declan Rice situation. Trossard limped off at Anfield with tightness in his hamstring, so he faces a late fitness test here. Mikel Merino meanwhile (you got to love the alliteration there) is suspended for this weekend’s match, so you have a shortage of options in this position group.
Maybe Kai Havertz, who has not played in several months due to a hamstring injury, will be ready to go here? He has been recovering well, and there was a thought that he could still feature before the season ends.
Elsewhere Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain out for the season.
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