Fleetwood Town v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Martin Zubimendi is wearing a protective face mask for Arsenal in tonight’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Fleetwood Town.
The midfielder picked up the injury in the closing stages of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton. Having come on as a substitute in the last 10 minutes, he took a blow to the face and needed treatment, and he is believed to have broken his nose.
Martin Zubimendi passed fit to start despite a broken nose
Despite the injury, Zubimendi was passed fit to start at Highbury, and he lines up alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield, wearing a mask to protect his nose.
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for the 27-year-old. He arrived back from the summer as a World Cup winner with Spain, but he has struggled for minutes at Arsenal, with Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis-Skelly ahead of him in the race to partner Declan Rice. Tonight is only his second start of the season, after the win at Ipswich in the previous round.
His fitness has also been tested. He picked up an ankle problem in a freak incident during the post-match warm-down after the win over Leeds earlier this month, alongside Piero Hincapie, who also started tonight.
Mikel Arteta has named a strong side, but one with plenty of opportunities for those who have been waiting for minutes, including debuts for Ceadach O’Neill and goalkeeper Illan Meslier. “Give me a reason, give me a headache, give me a problem and show me you have to play more,” Arteta told Sky Sports before the game.
Zubimendi will be determined to do exactly that, even with a broken nose.