Mikel Arteta continues to be dealt a tough hand as his squad prepares for the toughest of their Champions League fixtures on paper. Despite extending the unbeaten start to the season with a late victory over Leicester there were more injury concerns from the game.
Ben White missed the match entirely having now been absent from the starting XI in each of the past three games in all competitions – albeit one was against Bolton, where he would likely have been rested anyway. Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori picked up another knock towards the end of the weekend’s victory.
That adds to a lengthy list of absentees including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Tomiyasu Tomiyasu, Mikel Merino, and Martin Odegaard. With midweek football now set to continue as the season progresses, an already small squad is being tested.
Here, with the visit of Paris Saint-Germain to north London on the cards, football.london has the latest from the Arsenal treatment room with full injury news.
Ben White
Injury: Groin.
White was absent against Leicester entirely after only being fit enough to make the bench a week earlier against Manchester City. He remains a doubt to play against PSG after not being seen in open training on Monday.
Riccardo Calafiori
Injury: Knee.
The summer signing, who has struggled to get to full fitness due to several niggles since his arrival, appeared to pick up another knock in the win over Leicester. In a battle with Odsonne Edouard at the end of the match he dropped to the floor.
Reports claimed he also went down during celebrations for Leandro Trossard’s winner as well as leaving the pitch in tears. He was involved in preparations before PSG.
What Arteta has said: “Those [White Calafiori] are the two players that are in contention and we have to review today.”
[Is Calafiori serious?] “We didn’t do any training session yesterday. He was a bit emotional after the game. Let’s see how he is today.”
Mikel Merino
Injury: Shoulder.
Merino is yet to play for Arsenal after breaking his shoulder in his first training session, although his return could arrive later this month. He was part of the group that trained before PSG, the first time he has been publicly noted as back on the pitch. He remains a doubt to feature though.
What Arteta has said: “Next week, we’ll see. He had partial training. He’s been working so hard and it’s looking good. It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to expose him to contact.”
Possible return date: Bournemouth (A) – October 19.
Martin Odegaard
Injury: Ankle
The influential Arsenal skipper missed the North London Derby win due to an ankle injury sustained during the international break. His return date remains uncertain and is expected to be after the next international break.
What Arteta has said: “After recent scans, they’ve showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle. We’re going to miss him. It’s quite significant, so we’re going to lose him for a while.”
Possible return date: Late October.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Injury: Calf.
Sidelined due to an injury sustained during October’s international break, which also kept him out of the North London Derby and subsequent matches. He has not returned to training yet.
What Arteta has said: “No big news. We have a training session this afternoon. We have to review a few players. Overall in terms of returning players nothing to give back.”
Possible return date: Unknown.
Initially expected to be leaving Arsenal, Kieran Tierney then endured a hamstring injury while playing at the Euro 2024 with Scotland. Despite these challenges, he was named in Arsenal’s 25-man Premier League squad last month, but hasn’t returned to training as yet.
What Arteta has said: “He needs to focus now on recovering in the best possible way. It’s been a tough time for him, with the last injury. We have to try to support him and make sure he comes back fit.”
Possible return date: Unknown.
Prime Video is broadcasting one Champions League game every game week free for Amazon Prime members. Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures include Paris Saint-Germain on October 1 and Shakhtar Donetsk on October 22, both of which are free for Prime members or those signing up for a 30-day free trial.
Every Champions League and Europa League game is also available on TNT Sports via Prime Video’s Discovery+ channel.