Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta’s side could be without two key players for Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Sporting CP
Arsenal are today stepping up preparations for the Europa League Round of 16 first leg against Sporting CP, which will be played in Portugal on Thursday.
The Gunners come into the game after an incredible win over Bournemouth that kept them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. Despite a memorable winner from Reiss Nelson, the clash has negative implications as two forwards have injury doubts for the clash.
Eddie Nketiah was completely absent from the matchday squad with a knockout at the weekend, while Leandro Trossard was substituted through injury in the first half. Arsenal will therefore decide late Thursday evening whether or not to include the duo. That said, football.london has rounded up all the latest news and updates on Arsenal players struggling with injuries ahead of their European fixture with Sporting CP later this week.
Trossard appeared to have taken a knock of some sort before signaling to the coaching staff that he could no longer continue and was eventually replaced by Emile Smith Rowe in the 22nd minute.
The initial prognosis of Trossard’s injury is that it is not considered serious, Football.london understands.
What Arteta said: “It’s a concern, he came straight to me and said he couldn’t continue. He’d heard something as he was following so we had to leave him,” said the Spaniard when asked what had happened to the striker Talented. “We’ll evaluate him and see how he’s doing.”
Expected return date: N/A
Eddie Nketiah was on the bench for the recent wins over Leicester and Everton after a slight dip in form. Arsenal boss Arteta later confirmed after coming on as a substitute against the Toffees that the young forward was suffering from minor injuries.
Arsenal will make a late decision in the coming days on whether or not to bring him to Lisbon.
What Arteta said: “We assess him,” the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. “It’s a bit uncertain what will happen to him, to be honest, in training.
“Let’s see, let’s keep our options open. He’s very positive about it and hopefully it works out.”
Estimated return date: Sporting (A) – 9 March
Jorginho started the aforementioned win against Everton ahead of Thomas Partey, though he made way for the former Atletico Madrid player at half-time, with Arteta confirming the Italy international wasn’t feeling 100% after the final whistle.
However, he was named on the bench for Saturday’s win over Bournemouth, so he should be fully fit to start on Thursday if needed.
What Arteta said: “Jorgi [Jorginho] is fine. He was ill and was managing a great team, but we decided to take him off [against Everton].”
Estimated return date: Sporting (A) – 9 March
He then came on as a midweek substitute for the last ten minutes of the game against Everton before playing nearly an hour against the Cherries. He came on for the injured Leandro Trossard in the 22nd minute, finally making way for match winner Reiss Nelson in the second minute. half. After the match, Arteteta confirmed Smith Rowe was fine, the Spaniard just wanted a different dynamic on the left wing.
What Arteta said: “We didn’t plan to throw him out so soon. We knew it was difficult for him to last 70 minutes on the pitch after being out for almost five months. But I think he had a good influence, but in the end I felt we needed something different from the left side because we lacked threat and attracted more players to that (left) side. That’s why we decided to sign Reiss.”
Current fitness level: In great shape
After suffering an internal ligament injury while playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stage, Jesus returned to London for knee surgery in hopes he would be out. football for at least a month.
The Gunners are hoping the former Manchester City leader will be back in the squad before the players depart with their respective nations. On Saturday, Jesus was photographed in an Arsenal tracksuit as the festivities unfolded around him. The reason was later clear when the 25-year-old attended the on-pitch cool-down session at the Emirates Stadium with the other unused substitutes.
Arteta has now provided another update on his number nine as he gets ever closer to making a comeback.
What Arteta said: “He’s not far off now. I don’t want to give a timeline, but he’s doing certain things with the team, certain things outside the team. It’s not very close, but it’s not far at all.
“He is feeling better every day and the doctors are confident about the progress of the injury and I think we are in a good position with him.”
Estimated return date: March.
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the full 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent from Arteta’s squad in the 2-0 Tottenham win as a knee problem arose in training before judging the clash. Moreover, there was no place for Manchester United on the bench. A club statement last month later confirmed the former Basel player will be out for an extended period of time, although no timetable has been given for his expected return. Elneny has since signed a new contract with Arsenal as he nears a return.
Expected return date: N/A