Mikel Arteta has as many as ten Arsenal injury concerns ahead of Gunners' return to domestic action and the Premier League title race with Manchester City
07:00, 29 Mar 2026
Mikel Arteta
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has several injury concerns ahead of the conclusion of the title race
Mikel Arteta will be hoping there are no more injury scares for his Arsenal players on international duty after Noni Madueke was spotted leaving Wembley Stadium with a leg brace on Friday night. The Three Lions star was withdrawn inside the first half following a coming together with Rodrigo Aguirre.
The Gunners winger tried to play on but was replaced by Jarrod Bowen and headed straight down the tunnel. When asked about Madueke after the game, Thomas Tuchel told the radio station talkSPORT: "He [Madueke] was electric, he was on fire.
"He was ready to go from the start and we built the structure for him to go 1v1 and they play almost man-marking, so I think it was a matter of time until he could make the difference for us. Very, very sad, I hope [Madueke’s injury] is not too bad.
"We had to rush into substitutions, which we would have liked to take later in two slots and suddenly we lost the slots, so it cost us a little bit."
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The injury to Madueke means Arteta could be without as many as ten players through injury when they return to domestic action against Southampton in the FA Cup.
The Gunners winger returned to the club after his injury, while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka also left the Three Lions' squad 'for medical assessment' in two surprise blows. The extent of the injuries to the trio are not yet clear.
William Saliba, Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino are also sidelined, leaving Arteta short of options.
The Gunners were beaten last time out in the Carabao Cup Final, with Manchester City running out 2-0 winners in the Wembley showpiece. Arteta opted to field second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal against Pep Guardiola's men, but he had an afternoon to forget.
Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City
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Kepa Arrizabalaga disappointed in the Carabao Cup final against Man City(Image: Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Arsenal are favourites heading into the FA Cup clash and could well use the game to rest several key stars. However, there are question marks over Kepa following that disapointing outing and David Raya will return to the starting XI.
In defence, Arsenal have strength in depth and would still be able to name a strong backline if the aformentioned injured players are fit to play. Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, Cristian Mosquera and Ben White could all start if they come through their own international fixtures unscathed.
In midfield, the possible for injury to Rice may mean Arteta can't afford to rest Martin Zubimendi and looks set to start the Spaniard alongside Christian Norgaard and Kai Havertz to start in a three.
There are less options futher forward, particularly on the flanks, which means Max Dowman could be given a surprise start, with Gabriel Martinelli on the opposite flank. Up top, there's a chance for Gabriel Jesus to start in place of Viktor Gyokeres.
Possible Arsenal starting XI against Southampton: Raya; White, Hincapie, Mosquera, Calafiori; Norgaard, Havertz, Zubimendi; Dowman, Jesus, Martinelli.
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