Arsenal are headed to Mansfield Town on Saturday, for a FA Cup 5th round clash that is literally 1st versus 60th. Mansfield Town are 16th in League One, the third tier of the English football pyramid, so this is a chance for Mikel Arteta to rest his guys. William Saliba and Martin Odegaard are both dealing with injuries that are not too serious, but they won’t be risked here.
Neither will Ben White, who is nearing a return from an unspecified injury. On Tuesday, Arteta ruled him out of the Brighton match, so he won’t feature against the lower division minnows here.
FA Cup Round of 16 FYIs
Arsenal at Mansfield Town
Kickoff: Saturday March 7, One Call Stadium, Nottinghamshire, UK
Arsenal Team News
Saliba suffered an ankle twist in the London derby win over Chelsea on the weekend, but played through the pain. However, he missed out on the 1-0 win at Brighton yesterday, with Arteta saying in postgame:
“He turned his ankle against Chelsea. He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today.”
As for Odegaard, he’s touch and go right now, with Arteta saying on Tuesday: “Maybe, we will see how comfortable he is in certain actions.” Again, no reason to risk team captain here.
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.