Arsenal centre-back William Saliba picked up a knock against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Saliba was a part of Arteta’s starting XI, who managed to win 3-2 at Stamford Bridge, to take a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg at the start of February.
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However, the Frenchman picked up a knock during the game, which has now made him a doubt for Arsenal’s game against Nottingham Forest this weekend in the Premier League.
If Saliba were to miss the game, Arteta may have to get creative with defensive team selection, as the Gunners have suffered a lot of injuries along the back four this season. As things stand, he is currently being assessed ahead of the game against Forest, but is expected to play.
Expected return date – Saturday 17 January vs Nottingham Forest (A)
Leandro Trossard
Trossard, like Saliba is a minor injury concern following the Chelsea match, but also like Saliba, it isn’t understood to be a major problem.
The Belgian winger should be available for the Forest game at the weekend, however, if he doesn’t feature, then Gabriel Martinelli is likely to start.
Expected return date – Saturday 17 January vs Nottingham Forest (A)
Piero Hincapie
Centre-back Hincapie is dealing with a hamstring injury that he picked up against Chelsea. It isn’t clear as to how serious it is, but Arteta hinted that it could be a longer-term issue.
The Arsenal boss said via Premier Injuries: “We don’t know [how long] yet.” – He will hope the Ecuadorian won’t be out for long, as he’s been a vital depth piece in defence this year.
Expected return date – Unknown
Riccardo Calafiori
Calafiori remains out injured with a leg injury that he suffered at the start of the month. It’s a big blow for Arsenal, and Myles Lewis-Skelly will likely come in to replace him against Forest on Saturday.
It isn’t clear yet as to exactly when the Italy international will return, as Arteta said this week: “He is progressing, but we don’t know. I think it will be a matter of a few weeks, probably. We don’t know exactly when.”
Expected return date – Saturday 31 January vs Leeds United (A)
Max Dowman
Dowman is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered in early December, which was set to rule him out for a significant amount of time.
He is recovering well, but as things stand, it will be well into February before he returns and becomes available for selection again.
Expected return date – Saturday 14 February vs Wigan (H)
Cristhian Mosquera
Mosquera suffered a set-back to his ankle injury in the past week or so, meaning he could be waiting until mid-February before he comes into the first team again.
Arteta provided a vague update on Mosquera this week, he said: “Evolving really well, but they’re not training yet, so they’re still a few weeks away.”
Expected return date – Saturday 14 February vs Wigan (H)