Arsenal is facing a tough challenge as they prepare to take on Everton this weekend.
The Gunners are set to make the trip to Goodison Park, but they’ll do so with a significantly weakened squad.
Five key players are ruled out, and there’s still uncertainty about the fitness of others.
According to a recent report from The Mirror, Gabriel Magalhães won’t feature again this season after suffering a hamstring injury during the Fulham match.
“It’s a big task,” said manager Mikel Arteta, who now faces a major selection dilemma for the upcoming game.
Arsenal has also lost Riccardo Calafiori to a knee injury sustained during the international break.
Arteta has stated that Ben White and Jurrien Timber are uncertain for the Everton game, adding even more tension to the selection process.
Ben White missed the last match against Fulham, while Timber was substituted early with an injury concern.
Arteta noted that decisions will need to be made quickly: “We’re going to have to decide this evening or tomorrow, very early in the morning, which player we can play and for how long.”
In addition to those injuries, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Gabriel Jesus are still sidelined with long-term injuries.
This leaves Arteta with a reduced pool of players to choose from as the team looks to close the gap on Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Here’s the current squad list for Arsenal ahead of the Everton match:
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Neto.
Defenders: Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kieran Tierney.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri.
Forwards: Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling.
However, key players like Gabriel Magalhães, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Riccardo Calafiori will be unavailable for selection.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.