Arsenal have a number of fitness concerns going into their Carabao Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion
Mikel Arteta knows how important the Carabao Cup is for Arsenal this season. The Gunners’ last trophy came in 2020 and pressure is mounting on Arteta to deliver silverware given the strength of the squad this campaign.
“Today the most important one because it’s the game that we have tomorrow,” Arteta said on Tuesday when he was asked how important the fourth round clash against Brighton is. “It’s a competition that we haven’t won it for many, many years and it has to start tomorrow.
“We have to do a great game in order to be able to beat a very good Brighton side. We know that, we are prepared for that and we have to show it on the pitch.”
Arteta will have to call on his squad depth on Wednesday evening due to a number of injury issues at the minute. William Saliba was forced off at half-time in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday and will play no part at the Emirates Stadium against the Seagulls.
“He’s out,” Arteta told the media on Tuesday. “We’re assessing him, but he won’t be involved in this match.”
Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori are available, however, after the duo picked up minor issues at the weekend. There is less positive news regarding Gabriel Martinelli, however.
“Yeah, it looks as well that he’s going to be out,” Arteta confirmed when asked for an update on the Brazilian after he was spotted limping down the tunnel on Sunday. “We have to again do some more tests and see the extent of the injury, but this game is going to be two different.”
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain out as they both recover from knee surgery, while Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard are also absent due to knee injuries. So, when looking at the official Arsenal website, the Gunners have 18 senior players available for selection for the game vs Brighton.
As per EFL rules, a club is allowed to name a squad of 20 players for a League Cup match. That means at least two youth players will likely be named on the bench. Max Dowman, 15, has already made three appearances for the first team this campaign, with his last a 27-minute cameo appearance off the bench against Port Vale in the last round of the League Cup.
Young centre-back Marli Salmon is well liked by Gunners coaching staff and could be rewarded with a place on the bench. Charles Sagoe Jr is another contender, with the 21-year-old capable of offering cover for the injured Martinelli.
Possible Arsenal squad for Brighton: Raya, Kepa; Timber, White, Gabriel, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Hincapie, Salmon; Zubimendi, Rice, Norgaard, Merino, Eze, Nwaneri; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard, Dowman
Senior players unavailable for Brighton: Jesus (knee injury), Havertz (knee injury), Odegaard (Knee injury), Madueke (knee injury), Martinelli (unknown injury – doubt), Saliba (unknown injury)
