Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard will miss Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg clash against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Gunners hold a 3-2 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge but will be without their key playmakers as they seek to book a place at Wembley.
Saka was ruled out after picking up an injury during the warm-up ahead of the weekend's Premier League match against Leeds United. Mikel Arteta confirmed that the England winger was not ready for Tuesday's game, stating: 'He's OK, we need to have more tests tomorrow to understand how he is. This game was too (soon) but let's hope that it is not too much.'
Odegaard also misses out, with Arteta adding: 'We tried yesterday but he wasn't comfortable so let's see if he's available for the weekend hopefully.' Saka is reportedly targeting a return for the North London Derby on February 22, with Arsenal facing Sunderland, Brentford, and Wigan Athletic in the meantime.
Further midfield concerns arise from Mikel Merino, who requires surgery on a foot injury. Arteta described it as a 'rare injury' and said: 'He needs to go through a procedure, which is not always positive. He's a big player for us... and that's a big blow.' The Spaniard's recovery timeline remains unclear.
Should Arsenal progress, they will face either Newcastle United or Manchester City in the final. City currently hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the other semi-final, with goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki.
