Gabriel Jesus Arsenal, via Wikimedia Commons">
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus playing for Brazil
Arsenal will travel to Paris to take on PSG in the Champions League semi-final this week but Mikel Arteta is going to miss some very important players for the second leg.
The Gunners will go to Parc des Princes with a 1-0 deficit and while there’s certainly hopes of a turnaround, the Arsenal manager will need to get his tactics spot on. The Gunners knocked out Real Madrid in the previous round meaning they have what it takes to get past PSG, into the final.
However, Mikel Arteta is working with a very thin squad and because of all the injuries, he did not have the chance to rest his main players at the weekend. As Arsenal fly to Paris, we take a look at which players could feature in the matchday squad and who is likely to miss out.
Which Arsenal players will not be fit to face PSG on Wednesday?
Gabriel Jesus, and defender Gabriel Maghalaes are both out of action for the remainder of the season. Jesus’ season has been cut short due to an ACL injury while Gabriel is sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Jorginho has been out of action with a lung injury and the midfielder will need a few more weeks to make a full recovery.
Ricardo Calafiori is making good progress in his recovery from his knee injury but Wednesday’s game will come too early for the defender.
Tomiyasu is also out for the rest of the campaign after having undergone surgery to resolve his knee problem.
Arsenal are currently working without a proper centre-forward because along with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz is also unavailable with a hamstring injury.
Will Martin Odegaard and Timber be available to start vs PSG?
Martin Odegaard suffered an injury scare as he limped off the pitch after Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend but thankfully, it was just a small knock and the midfielder will be fully fit to start on Wednesday night. Odegaard’s injury would have been a big issue because with Jorginho out and Mikel Merino set to play up front, Mikel Arteta only has three fit senior midfielders left in his squad.
Jurrien Timber was absent from Saturday’s game due to an injury and speaking after the match, the Arsenal manager admitted that the defender is a small doubt for the second leg.
However, Mikel Arteta seldom gives positive injury updates and most experts believe Timber will be available for selection and should start ahead of Ben White at right-back.
Will fatigue be an issue for the Arsenal players?
During PSG’s weekend defeat, Luis Enrique rested 10 players who started the game against Arsenal last week but Mikel Arteta could make only two changes against the Cherries: Jurrien Timber was rested and the suspended Thomas Partey came in to replace Mikel Merino in central midfield.
It goes without saying that playing back-to-back high-intensity matches will take a toll on the Arsenal players but there’s no room for error or excuse going into the second leg. They have already lost the Premier League title race and the Champions League is now their only hope of silverware.