Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update ahead of Arsenal's clash against AS Monaco. The Gunners will lock horns with the French side at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night as they both look to climb the Champions League table.
Arsenal and Monaco almost have an identical record on the European stage this season, with just a one goal difference separating them in seventh and eighth, respectively. With two games left before the next stage of the competition, Arteta will be determined to secure automatic qualification to the round of 16.
If the north Londoners finish between 9th and 24th then they will have to play a knockout phase play-off – which means even more games will have to be shoehorned into an already congested fixture schedule. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up the latest Arsenal injury news.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel Magalhaes has missed the last two games due to a knee injury. While the knock may sound serious, Arteta has downplayed the severity of the problem, suggesting that he could soon return to action.
Ahead of Arsenal's clash against Fulham, the Spaniard claimed he wanted to see how Gabriel fared in training before throwing him back into the starting lineup. The 26-year-old defender didn't make the cut, so Arteta was asked for another update in his post-match press conference.
"I hope (Gabriel, Calafiori and Zinchenko are fit enough to play against Monaco), but it's more a question for the doctors and physios to understand where we are," said the Gunners boss, who provided a blanket update.
Return date: AS Monaco (H) – Champions League – Wednesday, December 11.
Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori has also been nursing a knock, casting doubt over his fitness. It remains to be seen exactly what could be holding the 22-year-old defender back, but he's missed the last two games.
That said, he suffered a calf injury and knee problem earlier this season.
Return date: AS Monaco (H) – Champions League – Wednesday, December 11.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the Fulham due to injury, but Arteta wasn't prepared to offer too much detail. Speaking to reporters after the Fulham clash, he said: "We are missing a lot of players in the backline. The good thing is that whatever we put there they respond. They respond with a good attitude and performance."
Return date: AS Monaco (H) – Champions League – Wednesday, December 11.
Ben White
Ben White underwent a minor procedure last month to resolvea joint problem that had been causing him problems,football.london understands. Arteta has previously confirmed that the defender will be ruled out for 'months'.
"Ben is gonna be out for months, unfortunately," said the Arsenal boss. "It's been different kinds of struggles. It's never been the same thing. We had to make a decision. It's not been improving in the last few weeks unfortunately.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary but it got to a point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery. He agreed with that and unfortunately that's going to keep him out for a few months."
When pushed for an exact timeframe on White's absence, Arteta replied: "I don't know at the moment. We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect him to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
Potential return date: Early 2025.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu remains out of action with a knee injury. The defender missed the large majority of last season with a calf problem and he's played just six minutes this term. Last month, Arteta said: "Tomiyasu is going to be out as well for a period."
Return date: Unknown.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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