Arsenal injury update with Gyokeres, Martinelli and Zubimendi timeline | Football | Sport
Arsenal are one of five teams in the Champions League to have won all three of their opening matches. Mikel Arteta’s side will aim to maintain that impressive record this evening when they take on Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Arena. The team is coming off a 2-0 victory over Burnley, which marked their seventh consecutive victory while keeping a clean sheet in all competitions.
The Gunners appear to have one of the most formidable teams in the Premier League, following a succession of signings made during the summer transfer window. The depth of quality among the substitutes will prove valuable tonight for Arteta, given several key players are currently unavailable.
With this in mind, Express sport take a look at the current list of injured and suspended players in the Arsenal squad and when they could next be available for selection.
Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal striker Gyokeres, worth £64m, will miss out against Slavia Prague. The Swedish international was substituted at half-time at the weekend and is believed to have suffered a strain injury.
Arteta said on November 3: “No, he is definitely not available. He did not train today. We need to do further tests and scans in the coming days to understand the extent of the injury. But he is not available.”
Potential return date: end of November.
Martin Zubimendi
Zubimendi is ruled out for Tuesday after receiving three yellow cards in the Champions League. Arteta will be without the midfielder, who has enjoyed an impressive start to his Arsenal career.
Arteta said on Monday: “It also comes with the Zubi situation. We know that. Zubi also had two yellows. It’s the competition. At some point you might miss players in crucial matches. Obviously we will try to avoid that as much as possible, but that’s part of the competition.
Return date: Next Champions League match
Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal captain injured his knee against West Ham a month ago. Since then, Odegaard has missed five matches for the Gunners, but the squad’s strong depth has lessened the impact of his absence.
Arteta said in his press conference: “Well, we’ve looked at everything. Obviously we have four knees, with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Madueke and Martin Odegaard, which is very, very unusual, all with long duration.
“And then we have muscle injuries with other players, which can happen and that’s the case with all clubs. I think it’s very unusual to have so many players on the front line with problems.
“We have to face it. We have done it brilliantly and we will continue to do so.”
Potential return date: mid-November.
Noni Madueke
The 23-year-old winger made six appearances for Arsenal before a knee injury saw him substituted in the Gunners’ draw against Manchester City in September.
Potential return date: end of November.
Kai Havertz
Havertz, who has been absent from the Arsenal squad since the club’s opening Premier League match against Manchester United after undergoing minor knee surgery.
Potential return date: end of November.
Gabriel Jesus
The Brazilian star continues to recover from a cruciate ligament injury suffered during an FA Cup match against Manchester United in January.
Potential return date: end of December.
Gabriel Martinelli
He suffered a knock in Arsenal’s triumph over Crystal Palace in late October, has scored four goals and provided one assist in his 12 appearances for the Gunners this season.
Potential return date: November 8