Mikel Arteta Drops Shock Injury ‘Worry’ for Key Arsenal Duo Ahead of Chelsea Clash

There are four confirmed absentees for Arsenal in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel Arteta has some selection issues heading to Stamford Bridge. | Catherine Ivill-AMA/Getty Images

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are both injury “worries” ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final away to Chelsea.

This news comes as an unpleasant surprise. The pair did not make the trip south to face Portsmouth in the FA Cup over the weekend in what was widely considered to be an example of nothing more serious than squad rotation.

Some rest would have been understandable: Saliba and Trossard are two of Arteta’s most keenly valued players and they have both had issues with minor injuries this season.

Saliba sat out four consecutive matches as November bled into December with a knock, while Trossard was dealing with an ankle issue over the same period.

In his preview of Wednesday’s cup tie against Chelsea, Arteta didn’t expect any of his existing injury absentees to return before casually dropping in: “The other worries are Saliba and Trossard.”

Leandro Trossard (left) and William Saliba are both “worries.” | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Prior to Gabriel Martinelli’s hat-trick against the Championship strugglers over the weekend, Trossard ranked as Arsenal’s joint-top scorer this season. The unfussy Belgian also leads the squad with six assists across all competitions, a tally made all the more impressive considering that he is not the first-choice set-piece taker.

Saliba doesn’t offer the same attacking threat as his centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhães but is just as crucial to the defensive security of the side. The towering Frenchman missed Arsenal’s first trip to Stamford Bridge at the end of November and watched his teammates nervily battle out a 1–1 draw despite playing against 10 men for more than 50 minutes.

If Saliba does conspire to miss the cup tie and Arsenal don’t welcome back one of their numerous defensive absentees, Arteta could be forced to shift Jurriën Timber into a central role with Ben White retaining his position at right back.

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Arteta Confirms Four Absentees for Carabao Cup Semi-Final

Piero Hincapié is another fitness concern. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Piero Hincapié also missed Arsenal’s trip to Fratton Park, prompting a vague injury update from Arteta which wasn’t promising. The Basque boss confirmed on Tuesday that the Ecuador international would sit out the midweek London derby.

“It’s a muscle injury,” Arteta revealed. “He’s progressing, but we don’t know. I think it will matter for a few weeks probably, but we don’t know exactly when.”

There was no timeline provided for the absent Riccardo Calafiori, who has sat out five successive fixtures with a muscular injury which continues to bother him. Arteta reluctantly offered some clarity on Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera, who both happen to be dealing with ankle problems.

“Very similar injuries, very similar timeframes,” Arteta said of the youthful pairing. “Both evolving really well, but they’re not training yet, so they’re still a few weeks away.”

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