Mikel Arteta has delivered a significant update on the fitness of key players Declan Rice and William Saliba, casting doubt over their availability for Arsenal's crucial Premier League encounter with Aston Villa this Saturday.
Rice and Saliba Fitness Concerns Loom Large
The Gunners travel to Villa Park for Saturday's early kick-off sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League following a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday. However, that win came at a potential cost, with both Rice and summer signing Cristhian Mosquera forced off with injuries.
England international Rice left the pitch in the second half against Brentford with what appeared to be a calf problem. While the midfielder sought to allay fears after the match, telling Sky Sports he was ‘fine’, manager Arteta remained cautious. Final decisions will be made after a training session later today.
‘Let’s see [on Rice],’ Arteta stated in his pre-match press conference. ‘I think with all the questions I’m gonna get the answer will be the same. We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be very important. So, after that, we will decide who travels.’
Defensive Crisis Deepens for League Leaders
The situation in defence is equally concerning for the league leaders. First-choice centre-back William Saliba has now missed the last two matches after picking up a problem in training ahead of the Chelsea game last weekend.
Arteta suggested the French defender, along with attacker Leandro Trossard, is still ‘a couple of days’ away from a return, making him a major doubt for the Villa Park fixture.
To compound matters, his replacement, Cristhian Mosquera, was also substituted in the first half against Brentford after an awkward landing. Arteta confirmed the issue is with the Spaniard's ankle, but is hopeful it is not severe.
‘That’s the one that is more complicated. We have another scan to do today,’ Arteta said of Mosquera. Asked about the severity, he added: ‘No. We need to know, because the feeling that we had after the game and yesterday, we need to corroborate with what happens with other testing that we do today.’
Injury List Tests Arsenal's Title Credentials
Arsenal's ability to maintain their excellent start to the season has been all the more impressive given a lengthy injury list. Key players including Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli have spent time on the sidelines at various stages this campaign.
The defensive department has been hit particularly hard, with Gabriel Magalhaes also unavailable and not expected back until the end of December. The potential absence of both Saliba and Mosquera would leave Arteta with a significant selection headache at the back for a tough away fixture against an in-form Aston Villa side.
Saturday's match represents a stern test of Arsenal's squad depth and title mettle as they look to preserve their advantage at the Premier League summit.
