Calafiori, Ødegaard & Havertz: Latest Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Wolves matchplaceholder image
Calafiori, Ødegaard & Havertz: Latest Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Wolves match | Getty Images
The latest Arsenal injury news ahead of their Premier League game against Wolves.
Arsenal will have the opportunity to go seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table should they defeat Wolves at the Molineux on Wednesday evening – but the Gunners’ chances of increasing their lead may be dented by fresh injury problems.
Two full-backs suffered injuries over the weekend, with Riccardo Calafiori pulling out of the squad to face Wigan Athletic at the last minute before Ben White went off late in the second half. With Kai Havertz and club captain Martin Ødegaard also recovering from recent issues, Arsenal could be missing as many as six first-team players for their midweek match.
With kick-off fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal injury news and updates from Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.
Will Riccardo Calafiori & Ben White be available for Arsenal?
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori had been due to start at left-back ahead of Arsenal’s routine 4-0 FA Cup fourth round win over Wigan, but pulled out at the eleventh hour due to an undisclosed injury sustained ahead of the game.
Speaking on Tuesday, Arteta told the press that Calafiori was “fine,” adding that “he was training with us today, he is feeling better and hopefully he is fit for [Wolves].” Barring late setbacks, it seems as though the 23-year-old could reclaim his starting place on Wednesday night.
Ben White, meanwhile, was forced off with around 10 minutes remaining against Wigan due to what Arteta described as a combination of “fatigue” and “tightness in the hamstring.”
As with Calafiori, Arteta stated that White was “fine” and it is presumed that he will be available for selection against Wolves, although he is likely to be back on the bench with Jurriën Timber expected to be preferred.
Will Martin Ødegaard or Kai Havertz be fit to face Wolves?
There’s less positive news about two other Arsenal players who are pushing to return from recent injuries, however, with club captain Martin Ødegaard and forward Kai Havertz both set to miss out on Wednesday’s match.
Arteta said that Ødegaard, who missed the Wigan match with a knee issue, “is not going to be fit,” but added that there was hope that both the Norwegian midfielder and Havertz – who is set to miss out due to an undisclosed injury – would be available for the North London Derby on Sunday, when Arsenal take on their old rivals Tottenham Hotspur and their newly-appointed interim manager Igor Tudor.
Another player who could be ready to face Spurs over the weekend is young forward Max Dowman, who has been out with an ankle injury since the start of December. The winger is expected to return to training this week and is said to be “doing very well” by his manager, although it remains to be seen whether Sunday arrives too soon.
The only player who is definitively ruled out for the derby game is midfielder Mikel Merino, who has undergone surgery on a broken foot. It remains unclear whether Merino will be able to play again this season, with a May comeback looking optimistic at this stage.
Continue Reading