Arsenal will aim to progress to the FA Cup semi-finals when they lock horns with Southampton when they lock horns with Southampton at St. Mary’s in the quarter-final on Saturday evening. Mikel Arteta has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The Gunners were a major talking point during the international break because as many as ten first-team players pulled out of their national squads. So, Arteta has been sweating over the fitness of several stars, although William Saliba (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (knee), Declan Rice (knock), Martin Zubimendi (muscular), Leandro Trossard (hip), and Bukayo Saka should be available.
Additionally, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard are fit and ready to take on Southampton this weekend. However, Piero Hincapie, Mikel Merino, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Hincapie, Timber, Odegaard, Eze, and Madueke.
The Arsenal manager said, “No it’s not (serious), it looked really bad, Noni was really worried especially after what happened to him in his other knee a few weeks ago. He was out for six weeks (last time), but no, he’s nowhere near that injury, so that’s really good news.”
“Ebz is out. With Ebz I cannot put a finger (on a timeframe) there because I don’t know, because he’s a special character. Those (Odegaard and Timber) are in contention to possibly be in the squad.”
Meanwhile, Arteta also discussed his relationship with international managers following the events that transpired during the international break. The Arsenal boss said, “Yeah, we have very good relationships and communications with most of the national teams, certainly with Thomas (Tuchel).”
“We’ve been extremely supportive all the time, and when you have to communicate the state and the moment of every player, we are always very honest, and in the end it’s a medical decision that has to be made and that was clear, what the conclusion was.”
Kepa Arrizabalaga will retain his spot between the sticks despite his howlers in the EFL Cup final, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Southampton on Saturday. The backline will feature Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
As for the midfield unit, Christian Norgaard will line up alongside Martin Zubimendi in the double pivot, with Martin Odegaard reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Gabriel Jesus will lead the line for the away side against Southampton, with Gabriel Martinelli and Max Dowman being the two wide attackers. So, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Viktor Gyokeres will be among the backup option on the bench for the Gunners.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Arrizabalaga; White, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Nørgaard; Dowman, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus
