The absence of several important players due to injury or suspension presents a number of difficulties for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ahead of the London derby match against Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.
Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu will be absent, but there may be reason for hope given Oleksandr Zinchenko’s return and a potential return of Nicolas Pepe.
- Arsenal’s worries remain unabated despite the absence of Jesus and Timber, but Zinchenko’s return is encouraging.
- Gabriel Jesus has resumed his workouts but is not expected to play this weekend.
- The Fulham match presents a tactical challenge for Arteta due to long-term injuries and suspensions.
As Mikel Arteta’s team gets ready to host Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, early injury concerns from the season continue to plague them.
The Gunners are under pressure as a result of the long-term knee injury suffered by summer acquisition Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s suspension following his outrageous red card against Crystal Palace.
The striker Gabriel Jesus’ continued absence is another cause for concern as he is still recovering from a preseason knee injury. Despite having resumed training on Thursday, he is probably going to miss the Fulham game.
Additionally, the long-term injury suffered by midfielder Mohamed Elneny, who is still recovering from knee surgery earlier this year, prevents him from playing for the foreseeable future, which makes Arteta’s selection of the team even more difficult.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, who replaced captain Martin Odegaard late in the game on Monday night, is now officially back to full strength, which is a positive development.
Fans who had been anxiously following Zinchenko’s recovery from a calf injury that kept him out earlier this year welcomed this as a sign of hope. In the area of full-backs, his return offers some much-needed reinforcement.
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