Mikel Arteta is worrying over the fitness of two important players who have been left out of a secret Arsenal friendly.
After missing a behind-closed-doors friendly, Mikel Arteta may be without Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu for Monday's Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu could miss Arsenal's Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Monday.
As the international break draws to a close, Mikel Arteta is preparing his squad for the trip to Selhurst Park. The Gunners sit in fourth place in the Premier League, three points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and must strive to maintain their momentum after winning six of their past seven games.
Arsenal's chances of victory in south London may be jeopardized by injury concerns, with Ramsdale and Tomiyasu both ruled out. Both players missed their countries' games over the international break and are racing to be fit for Monday's 8 p.m. kick-off. Due to a hip injury, Ramsdale was forced to withdraw from England's friendlies against Switzerland and Cote d'Ivoire. On March 16, the 23-year-old goalkeeper suffered an injury in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool and missed the 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Bernd Leno came on as a substitute in the game at Villa Park, and he could be called upon to make his fifth league start on Monday. According to the Daily Mail, Ramsdale has been working hard on his recovery during the break, but he has not entirely recovered from his injury, and his chances of playing in the match are assessed '50-50'.
Due to a long-standing calf ailment, Tomiyasu was not selected for Japan's World Cup qualifiers during the international break. He hasn't played since January 20, when he played 90 minutes in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. Arteta admitted that the club will be "extremely cautious" about managing his return. After being left out of Arsenal's behind-closed-doors friendly against Brentford B at their London Colney training base earlier this week, he is unlikely to play against Palace. Alexandre Lacazette scored a hat-trick for the Gunners, who also featured Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Charlie Patino, and Eddie Nketiah in a team dominated by teenagers.
Cedric Soares is set to continue at right-back in Tomiyasu's absence. Arsenal are said to be confident about Bukayo Saka, who has returned from England duty with Covid-19 and could feature against Palace. Emile Smith Rowe was forced to sit out England's 2-1 triumph over Switzerland on Saturday owing to a minor injury, but he has since recovered. In the Three Lions' 3-0 win over Cote d'Ivoire at Wembley on Tuesday night, he came off the bench as a second-half substitute.