Mikel Arteta has provided the latest on the fitness of his Arsenal squad ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton at Emirates Stadium.
Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko were all absent once again however for Wednesday's clash with Monaco. The former pair have been missing since the 5-2 victory over West Ham with muscle issues. Zinchenko meanwhile has been absent since last weekend's 1-1 draw with Fulham due to a muscle problem of his own that is not understood to be a recurrence of a long-standing calf issue.
The trio are major doubts heading into Saturday's clash with Everton, although Arteta admitted Gabriel has a chance of being available. "There is a possibility [for Gabriel] to be available," the Spaniard said. "He trained today. We will see tomorrow."
Calafiori and Zinchenko, meanwhile, have been ruled out for sure. Arteta admitted that the Italian was nearing a comeback, though.
"We’re just respecting the times that the medical department has set," he said. "Then we monitor his evolution every single day. We understand he’s not fully ready yet, but he’s getting very close now."
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, meanwhile, are long-term absentees with knee problems. This has only served to exacerbate the defensive injury crisis that Arteta has had to deal with.
The absences saw Myles Lewis-Skelly make his first Champions League start against Monaco in midweek. Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey had both been doubts heading into the game after missing training the day prior, but were able to come through to take part in the 3-0 win against Monaco.
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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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