2 weeks Ago
A spot in the EFL Cup quarter-finals is up for grabs for Arsenal when they head to Deepdale to square off with Preston North End in the fourth round on Wednesday evening. The Gunners made light work of Bolton Wanderers in their opening match of this year's edition, thumping the Trotters 5-1 on an evening where academy gem Ethan Nwaneri scored twice. However, Mikel Arteta 's men were left to rue what could have been at the weekend, letting two one-goal leads slip in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool as they occupy third place in the Premier League table .
Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Arsenal's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Preston, who defeated Fulham in an epic penalty shootout to make it this far. Status: Major doubt Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: October 30 (vs. Preston) Already missing one fundamental defender in William Saliba against Liverpool, Arsenal then lost Gabriel Magalhaes to a knee problem at the start of the second half; the Brazilian was seen icing the affected area on the bench, but Arteta is not sure how serious his problem is .
Status: Minor doubt Type of injury: Cramp Possible return date: October 30 (vs. Preston) Jurrien Timber - who recovered from a muscular problem for the visit of Liverpool - was Arsenal's second casualty of Sunday's draw, but he only appeared to be suffering from cramp and will likely make an immediate return to action. Status: Out Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: November 26 (vs.
Sporting Lisbon) In contrast, Riccardo Calafiori is feared to be facing a few weeks out with the knee injury he picked up against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League; he is believed to have damaged his MCL, although the problem could have been far more severe. Status: Out Type of injury: Ankle Possible return date: Unknown Arteta was quizzed on how Martin Odegaard is progressing in his rehabilitation from an ankle concern after the Liverpool draw, and the Gunners boss admitted that he was still some way away from returning, so a midweek comeback is out of the question. Status: Out Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: Unknown Takehiro Tomiyasu only just recovered from a serious knee issue before suffering a setback against Southampton a couple of weeks ago, and there is no timeframe on the Japanese defender's return.
Status: Out Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: Unknown Kieran Tierney has spent the last four months recovering from the severe hamstring injury he suffered at Euro 2024, and there is still no indication when the Scotland left-back could be back in action. Arsenal have no players banned for this match, as Saliba is back from the one-game suspension he served in the draw with Liverpool..
