Arsenal have struggled for form in recent weeks and have seen their hopes of winning the Premier League title take a hit, with injuries being one of the reasons behind their lack of points.
Mikel Arteta and his team have the chance to get the show back on the road when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, a game the Gunners are the overwhelming favourites to win. Despite that, they have been victorious in just one of their last five league games, losing to Fulham, West Ham and Aston Villa.
In the midst of that, they were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool despite creating an abundance of clear chances to score. The dip in form that has seen Arsenal drop to fourth in the Premier League cannot be attributed just to injuries, but there are players Arteta would love to have back at his disposal against Palace. As well as those sidelined by injuries, Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu are on international duty.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta kept his cards close to his chest when it came to injury news, saying: “We still have a few unfortunately on that list that we haven’t managed to get back yet. Hopefully they’re much better. I’m not gonna tell you exactly how everyone is individually. We are touch and go with a few.”
Here are the players Arteta is expecting to have on the sidelines when Arsenal host the Eagles on Saturday.
The longest-term absentee at Arsenal right now is Dutch defender Jurrien Timber. Hailed as a brilliant signing in the summer, he managed just one game before getting an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The former Ajax star has been out for effectively the entire season so far but has been seen on a training pitch in Dubai, suggesting he could still have a role to play for the Gunners in the 2023/24 campaign. It would be a huge boost to Arsenal’s defence if they can bring a player like Timber back in for the final few months of the season.
Arteta confirmed before the Palace game he does expect Timber to have an impact this season, revealing: “There is a possibility [that he will be back this season] but at the moment he’s still very far from competing. Are we hopeful that he could have a realistic impact before the end of the season? At the moment it looks like that.”
Another player Arsenal have had to do without for a very long time, the presence of Thomas Partey has been missed in the midfield. At this point, his injury is less of an issue because were he fit, he would almost certainly be at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana.
Partey’s absence has largely been mitigated by Declan Rice effectively dictating things in midfield and the England international is now close to undroppable, but the 30-year-old is still an excellent option for Arteta to have from the bench or for games against tougher opponents when fit.
Partey hasn’t featured since he appeared off the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City before the October international break. He should be back in the team at some point in February which will give the Gunners a boost in midfield, but he certainly won’t play against Palace.
Another midfielder who provides valuable depth for Arsenal and Arteta, Fabio Vieira will be gutted to have missed the period of the season when coaches need to rotate their squads the most. It was after the November international break that he had to undergo a small surgery due to a groin injury.
At no point in his Arsenal career has Vieira been a regular starter, but he is exactly the sort of player who would have been helpful for Arteta to have when the games started coming thick and fast. He could have given players like Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard more of a rest, but instead he will be trying to work his way back into the team from scratch once he makes his expected return in February.
It’s no secret that lots of Arsenal fans have not been happy with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performances in recent months, but he is still a very important part of the team and could be back to face Palace on Saturday.
He missed the losses against Fulham and Liverpool thanks to his calf injury, a part of his body that has caused issues throughout his career. Jakub Kiwior had to play at left-back in those games and didn’t look a great fit, so Zinchenko’s expected return against Palace has to be a positive for Arsenal.
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