Arsenal will look to recover from their Carabao Cup exit when they travel to Anfield on Sunday for a Premier League clash with Liverpool. Mikel Arteta is expected to demand a response from his players following the penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood Town.
However, the performances of several fringe players at Highbury Stadium have not given the Arsenal manager a selection headache. Youngster Max Dowman is suspended for the game after being sent off against Fleetwood, while fresh doubts have emerged over Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke, who all missed the cup tie.
Declan Rice carrying a knock
Rice took part in Arsenal training on Monday but was not named in the matchday squad against Fleetwood, missing just his second game of the season. It has since been confirmed that the midfielder's absence was not due to being rested, but rather because he is carrying a knock.
"Declan finished with a problem the other day [vs. Everton], that is why I had to substitute him," Arteta revealed after the loss to Fleetwood. The fact that Rice trained before the Fleetwood game should be a good sign, but a further update is expected in the pre-Liverpool press conference later in the week.
Madueke and Calafiori doubts
Unlike Rice, Madueke was not spotted in training on Monday, and Arteta has revealed the winger picked up an ankle issue against Everton which prevented him from making the trip to Fleetwood. With key injuries in wide areas and Dowman's suspension added to the mix, supporters will be desperate for a positive update on Madueke before the Liverpool game.
Calafiori was a surprise absentee from the Arsenal starting XI against Everton, having started all of the previous seven Premier League games. Though considering he played the full 90 minutes in Munich and the short turnaround to the Everton match, it made sense for Arteta to rest his first-choice left-back.
The Italian was introduced off the bench in the second half on Saturday and spent the majority of the eight minutes of stoppage-time standing up front - meaning Madueke dropped into defence - before going straight down the tunnel at full-time. Speaking after the game, Arteta confirmed the defender picked up a minor problem.
"Yeah I wasn't that mad to change those two from their positions," Arteta said. "It was because he had a slight issue, we don't know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it." Calafiori would perhaps have been rested for the Fleetwood game anyway, but is now facing a race against the clock to prove his fitness for the trip to Anfield.
Saka out for weeks, Saliba recovering
Arsenal were handed a major injury scare after Bukayo Saka was forced off against Bayern Munich. Saka had wriggled away from Alphonso Davies and got Arsenal on the attack, drifting into space and playing a pass out wide. However, immediately after playing that pass under no real pressure, Saka went down clutching his left leg and signalled to the bench.
Arteta confirmed the issue was a quad problem. Amid fear Saka could be sidelined for up to eight weeks, it has since been revealed that he is set to undergo another scan before a definite timeline can be stated. "We have to wait. It will be weeks," Arteta said before Arsenal's win over Everton. "I think in a week or ten days we're going to have another scan because there's so much fluid at the moment. So the picture is not that clear to give you an exact amount of time. But it looks like it's going to be weeks."
Christos Tzolis suffered a hamstring injury in Greece's penultimate Nations League fixture, a 2-2 draw at home against the Netherlands. Having initially refused to come off after receiving treatment, according to Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic, the winger was eventually replaced in the 18th minute and was said to have undergone a scan before returning to Arsenal. Amid reports that Tzolis would be out for up to three weeks, Arteta delivered an update in the pre-Leeds press conference.
"Tzolis has a muscle injury, and he's going to be out for a few weeks," the Arsenal manager said. "He's not available yet." The reported three-week timeframe has passed, which means Tzolis could be in contention for the showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
William Saliba has yet to play for Arsenal this season due to a long-term back injury that he exacerbated while on duty for France at the World Cup finals this summer. Though he avoided surgery, he was expected to be sidelined for a period of months. In good news, Saliba has recently resumed working individually back out on the grass at Arsenal's training ground as he steps up his recovery.
"Next week, we have another MRI with him to see how the healing process is at the moment," Arteta said. "Every sign so far has been very, very positive. It will be great to have him."
