Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out of Arsenal's FA Cup clash with Wigan after sustaining an injury in the warm-up. The Italian was initially named in the starting XI, but Bukayo Saka replaced him and captained the side. Ceadach O'Neill was called up to the bench as cover.
Calafiori's absence forced Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was set to play in midfield, to move to left-back. Despite the late change, Arsenal dominated the match, scoring four goals within the first 30 minutes. Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli found the net, with both goals created by Eberechi Eze.
Speaking before the game, Mikel Arteta said: 'Big opportunity for all the players. Obviously, we have a lot of games in different competitions and we need a very fresh team today.' The Gunners came into the tie in strong form, sitting top of the Premier League and with finals in the Carabao Cup and Champions League knockout stages ahead.
Another spell on the sidelines for Calafiori is a blow for Arteta, who is already without Mikel Merino for most of the season and Kai Havertz. Martin Odegaard was also absent against Wigan after picking up a knock in the midweek draw with Brentford. Odegaard said: 'Hopefully it's not too bad. I tried to clear the ball... but instead kicked into the player a bit, and ended up over-stretching my leg, which pinched the knee.'
