The likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Emile Smith Rowe and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all recently suffered injuries for Arsenal, and the trio have of plenty of company in the Gunners treatment room.
Let’s start with Tomiyasu, who picked up a slight knock while playing for Japan at the Asian Cup. He’s expected to be fit to face Burnley FC on Saturday.
Arsenal at Burnley FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Feb. 17, 3pm, Turf Moor
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Standings, Form: Arsenal FC 3rd, 52 pts, WWWWL Burnley FC 19th, 13 pts, LDLDL
Result Probability Arsenal FC 73% Draw 17% Burnley 10%
Arsenal Team News
As for Smith Rowe, he missed out on the whomping of West Ham last weekend after suffering an ankle during the previous week’s training. Gabriel Jesus missed the 6-0 destruction of the Hammers as well, meaning he’s been absent from the last two matches now.
The Brazilian has once again suffered knee problems, but this time the situation is not thought to be serious. Moving on to Zinchenko, he has a calf problem, but not much is known about the extent or the severity of the injury.
Moving on to midfielder Thomas Partey, who has barely played at all this season, his hamstring has kept him out since October. There is no timetable for his return.
Finally, Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber continue battling back from longer-term injury issues. The news has been much better with the latter, as there seems to be a growing sense of optimism that he’ll play again this term.
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.