It was a brutal international break for Arsenal, as they saw nine, yes nine players withdraw from their national teams due to injury and/or fitness precaution. Here in part two of Arsenal Team News, we cover the likes of William Saliba, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Magalhaes, Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard. Just in case you missed part one, it covered Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi, Piero Hincapie and Noni Madueke. You can read it at this link.
So without any further ado, let’s preview the FA Cup quarterfinals against Southampton.
FA Cup Quarterfinals FYIs
Arsenal at Southampton
Kickoff: Sat. April 4, 8pm, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, UK
Arsenal Fitness Content: Team News Part 1 Team News Part 2 Injury List
How They Got Here:
Arsenal: Portsmouth 4-1, Wigan Athletic 4-0, Mansfield Town 2-1,
Southampton: Doncaster 3-2, Leicester City 2-1, Fulham 1-0
Arsenal Team News
Saliba (ankle), Trossard (hip) and Gabriel (knee) are all basically touch-and-go right now, and could all be fine to feature on Saturday night. They will need to pass late fitness tests, but they’re not seriously injured. As for the team captain, Martin Odegaard, and his ongoing knee injury, Norway boss Stale Solbakken provided an update yesterday.
“The most important thing is that he is making progress,” Solbakken said. “When he will be ready, I don’t know. But it is good progress.”
Maybe another week, possibly two, beyond this for Odegaard to return to action. As for Eze, he’s got a longer-term calf injury, and he should be back at towards the later portion of April. And then of course, finally, Mikel Merino remains out for the season with an ankle injury.
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, Ratings and SportsBoom. 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.