Mission improbable commences on Wednesday evening for Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal, who face the biggest game of their season so far away to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
An early Ousmane Dembele goal propelled Les Parisiens to a 1-0 triumph in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last week, as the Gunners had a Mikel Merino leveller disallowed at the start of the second period.
If Arsenal were not already facing an uphill struggle in Paris, the North London outfit hop across the channel on the back of a demoralising Premier League defeat, as Bournemouth marvellously fought back to prevail 2-1 at the Emirates on Saturday evening.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with the Ligue 1 champions, who also lost 2-1 to Strasbourg at the weekend, albeit with a heavily rotated side.
© Imago
Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Knock
Possible return date: May 7 (vs. PSG)
Martin Odegaard registered an assist for the third Premier League game on the bounce on Saturday but appeared to be a little worse for wear at full time; Arteta admitted that he was in the dark about his condition having not spoken with the doctors, but there are no serious concerns about his availability for this one.
© IconSport
Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Knock
Possible return date: May 7 (vs. PSG)
Jurrien Timber was a surprise absentee from the squad to face Bournemouth at the weekend, although it was reported that the Dutchman’s absence was mostly precautionary.
Arteta took a more pessimistic approach in his post-game press conference, conceding that there was a chance Timber would not be available on Wednesday, but the Arsenal coach is seldom positive about team news after a defeat even if the diagnosis is not that bad.
As a result, it would be a shock to see Timber miss the second leg.
© Imago
Status: Out
Type of injury: Lung
Possible return date: May 18 (vs. Newcastle United)
Jorginho is now understood to have suffered a punctured lung in the draw with Brentford last month, but contrary to previous fears that he could miss the rest of the season, he might be back in action within the next couple of weeks.
© Iconsport
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
On the other hand, Gabriel Jesus will not be seen again for a long while and potentially not until 2026 as he recuperates from the serious ACL injury he picked up in January.
© Imago
Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: Unknown
Namesake Gabriel Magalhaes is one month into his recovery from a severe hamstring injury, but he still has several weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him and will not play again this season.
© Imago
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
The perpetually unfortunate Takehiro Tomiyasu is working his way back from a knee operation, and the Japan international – who has only made one appearance this season – could be missing until 2026.
© Imago
Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: May 18 (vs. Newcastle United)
On the other hand, Kai Havertz is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury, and Arteta is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be fit to return for the final couple of games of the season.
© Imago
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Riccardo Calafiori is still struggling to battle back from the knee injury he picked up during the March international break, and Arteta has refused to put a timeframe on the defender’s recovery.
ARSENAL’S SUSPENSION LIST
Arsenal have no players suspended for the second leg, as Thomas Partey is back from the ban he served in last week’s encounter.
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