Share
DECLAN RICE
DECLAN RICE
As you might have heard, Arsenal made a lot of news in midweek, and it wasn’t the kid of headlines that they would like to generate. The Gunners suffered what was arguably the greatest single match upset in English football history, falling at fourth tier Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night. And, to make matters worse, they got four new availability concerns for their trouble. Max Dowman is now suspeded while Declan Rice (thigh), Riccardo Calafiori (unspecified) and Noni Madueke (ankle) all face late fitness tests in order to make the matchday squad at Liverpool on Sunday.
Liverpool vs Arsenal FYIs
max dowman
max dowman
Kickoff: Sunday Nov. 1, 430 pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Starting Lineup Predictions: Liverpool Arsenal
Team News: Liverpool Arsenal
Premier League Form: Arsenal WLWWW Liverpooll DWLWW
Premier League Standing: Arsenal 2nd, 21 pts Liverpool 4th, 15 pts
Result Probability: Liverpool 32% Draw 28% Arsenal 40%
noni madueke
noni madueke
Arsenal Team News
“Calafiori was out,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Tuesday night. “Noni was out with an ankle, and Declan was feeling a problem the other day, which is why I had to substitute him.”
Arteta obviously shuffled his side, and rested his regulars for that match, as one naturally does when you’re the defending Premier League champions and you’re taking on a League Two side. However, the result is the result, regardless of how many starters were benched.
And even with the squad rotation, Arteta will likely be short-handed at Anfield this weekend. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Christos Tzolis remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
As for Dowman, he got red-carded at Fleetwood, and he will now miss this Premier League contest, as well as the next two, against Hull City and Newcastle United. Arsenal appealed his red card, but the FA upheld the ruling.
riccardo calafiori
riccardo calafiori
Dowman will still be eligible for the Gunners’ Champions League game against Slavia Prague on Nov. 4, and he can then return to action for the massive Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Nov. 29.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofThe Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.