LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Mikel Arteta Manager of Arsenal looks disappointed & dejected during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Mikel Arteta Manager of Arsenal looks disappointed & dejected during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
Arsenal's injury crisis has been laid bare after Mikel Arteta named his starting line-up for Wednesday's Champions League clash against Monaco.
The Gunners host the Ligue 1 side needing a win to return to the automatic Last 16 spots in the table. But Arteta is facing major problems, with his squad hit by a number of injury issues.
In his pre-match press conference, held on Tuesday, Arteta confirmed that Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori are all carrying problems. That has led to a much-changed line-up from the one which faces Fulham on Sunday.
The headline change is Myles Lewis-Skelly starting at left-back, in place of Timber. The 18-year-old has made six appearances this term, with Wednesday's game being just his second start.
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Lewis-Skelly is joined in defence by Partey, who has recovered from his injury to start at right-back. William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior continue their centre-back partnership, with Gabriel still on the sidelines.
Between the sticks, David Raya maintains his ever-present status in the Champions League. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard continue in midfield, with Mikel Merino taking the place of Jorginho, who is dropped to the bench.
Gabriel Martinelli has eaned a recall to the starting line-up following his eye-catching cameo off the bench against Fulham. The Brazilian will start on the left wing, with Bukayo Saka on the right.
BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND - JULY 29: Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal during a pre season friendly between Boreham Wood and Arsenal U21 at Meadow Park on July 29, 2023 in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Myles Lewis-Skelly is a surprise inclusion at left-back
After his poor display against the Cottagers, Kai Havertz has been dropped from the starting line-up, with Gabriel Jesus handed a rare chance to impress from the off. Jesus has made just six starts so far this campaign.
Timber is fit enough for the bench, where he is joined by Jorginho and Sterling. Also included among the substitutes is Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Kieran Tierney, who will make his first Arsenal appearance for 16 months if he comes on.
Arteta lamented the numerous injury issues facing his side ahead of Wednesday's game. He said: “It is what it is. At the end if we have to accept the challenge, it’s opportunities for other players to do that.
"In the ideal scenario, we have to be in charge to make those decisions. It’s forcing us to make it for the wrong reasons, but as well, we need to accept the reality and move forwards. I’m really happy with the way that we are playing, and the good thing is that it’s not conditioning the team in such a way that we have to become a different team.
"So, I’m very pleased with that, the way the team is adapting, the way players are making the effort to play in different positions and hopefully the ideal situation will come up very soon and we can do what we want.
“I was hoping to improve it and it did improve, but then very quickly after the first game we started to have issues and more issues than we expected. We have a lot of joint injuries that are very difficult to predict."
Arsenal XI to face Monaco: Raya, Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Merino, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus.
Subs: Neto, Setford, Timber, Tierney, Robinson, Heaven, Monlouis, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling, Havertz.
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