Arsenal appear to be facing #yetanotherinjurycrisis ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Monaco, with Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey both absent from this afternoon’s open training session at London Colney.
There’s been no official update on why the duo were missing – it could be precautionary given their injury records – but their absence is far from ideal, especially as they’ve been covering full-back roles amid a growing injury list.
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain sidelined with knee problems, Oleksandr Zinchenko picked up an issue after playing an hour against Manchester United last Wednesday, and neither Riccardo Calafiori nor Gabriel Magalhães has been seen since the 5-2 win over West Ham on 30 November.
While Calafiori and Big Gabi are thought to be nearing returns, they, like Zinchenko, missed training today.
If none are available tomorrow, Mikel Arteta faces a serious selection headache. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kieran Tierney – who hasn’t played for Arsenal since the 2022/23 season -are options at left-back, while youngster Josh Nicholls could step up on the right after gaining Carabao Cup experience.
Arsenal currently sit seventh out of 36 sides in the Champions League group phase and are seeking a win that consolidates their chances of avoiding a knockout stage play-off in the new year.