Rice, Saliba & Mosquera: Latest Arsenal injury news and expected return dates ahead of Aston Villa matchplaceholder image
Rice, Saliba & Mosquera: Latest Arsenal injury news and expected return dates ahead of Aston Villa match | Getty Images
The latest Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of the Premier League match against Aston Villa.
Arsenal’s long unbeaten run will be put to the test by Aston Villa this Saturday in the lunchtime Premier League kick-off – but Mikel Arteta has a selection headache on his hands with two fresh injury worries hanging over his team.
Both Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera had to be substituted during Wednesday evening’s 2-0 win over Brentford after picking up knocks, while there is also significant doubt over the availability of William Saliba and Leandro Trossard. All told, the Gunners could be forced to make do without as many as six first-team players.
Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Birmingham, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal injury news below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.
How bad are Declan Rice & Cristhian Mosquera’s injuries for Arsenal?
Arsenal’s midweek victory over Brentford may have come at a significant cost, with summer signing Cristhian Mosquera having to be withdrawn just before half-time before key midfielder Declan Rice limped off deep into the second half.
Arteta provided updates on both players after the match, although it’s too early to know how bad the damage is for either player, with both expected to undergo scans on Thursday to determine the extent of the damage.
“[Rice] had to come off… We have to see tomorrow what he's got,” Arteta told the media. “He can walk - he cannot play… We have to wait and see [with Mosquera]. It's probably part of the knee or ankle, we don't know. He could not really tell us exactly how it was, but he wasn't able to continue.”
As it stands, both players seem to be significant doubts for the match against Aston Villa. It is not yet clear whether either of the injuries are likely to be long-term issues, with further updates expected during Arteta’s pre-match press conference on Friday.
Will William Saliba be fit to face Aston Villa?
If Mosquera is indeed ruled out for Saturday’s match, then Arsenal will hope to be able to call upon William Saliba, who has missed the last two matches after sustaining an undisclosed injury which Arteta has only described as “very bizarre.”
The Arsenal manager also told the media that he only expected the Frenchman to be out for “a matter of days” and his comments suggest a high chance that Saliba will be fit to face Aston Villa, although his participation remains unconfirm as it stands, raising the possibility of one of Jurriën Timber, Ben White or Riccardo Calafiori being drafted into the centre of the defenced.
Compounding the issue is the fact that Gabriel Magalhães remains sidelined by a groin injury which will take “weeks” to recover from, with his return pencilled in for the Christmas period. Kai Havertz, who recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, is also targeting a return over the festive season.
The other doubt ahead of the Aston Villa match is winger Leandro Trossard, who like Saliba missed the matches against Brentford and Chelsea thanks to an unspecified muscular issue. Arteta has also suggested that the Belgian will be available again within days and he stands a good chance of being involved against Villa.
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