As Arsenal prepare for their crucial Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie against Sporting, Football London has a look at the Gunners stars who may be missing
Mikel Arteta will have some major absentees when Arsenal play host to Sporting Lisbon in the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-final. The Gunners are in dying need of momentum after the disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.
However, in Europe’s elite competition, the signs are promising for the north Londoners. They battled to a 1-0 away victory over Sporting in the first-leg last week, with Kai Havertz scoring a last-gasp injury time winner.
Arteta will need the same level of resilience and discipline when the Portuguese heavyweights arrive in north London, three years after they knocked the Gunners out of the Europa League on penalties. As it appears, they will have to do so without many key players – Football London takes a look at who may be absent.
As per usual, Arteta kept his cards close to his chest in regard to Arsenal’s injuries. However, Declan Rice was absent from Arsenal’s open training session this afternoon.
Speaking about the £104million man, Arteta said: “Well, he’s played a lot of games, and that’s part of the issue. But he’s going to try to do everything that he possibly can to be with us tomorrow. That’s for sure.”
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He also said Arsenal will “have to wait until tomorrow morning” for Rice and several other players. Two of those may be Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, with both players missing training.
When asked about the pair and whether they will be able to play a part, Arteta replied, “Maybe one of them, let’s see” before admitting Saka has been playing with an Achilles injury, saying: “It was something he was carrying for a while, yeah. It was an Achilles issue.”
Against Bournemouth, Arsenal were without Timber, Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, captain Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino, the latter of which being a long-term injury having undergone surgery on his foot. Odegaard was hauled off with an injury “niggle” during the first-leg victory over Sporting – he was also absent from training.
When it comes to Calafiori, who has not played consecutive Premier League matches since February, the Italian also did not train. However, Piero Hincapie may be involved, having returned to the match-day squad for the loss to the Cherries.
No matter who appears for the Gunners, Arteta attempted to rally his players and the fan base ahead of the pivotal second-leg at the Emirates Stadium. When asked to sum up his emotions, he said: “Fire! I’m on fire. I’m on fire. That’s it. Nothing else. I’m dreaming so much. I’ve done so much to be in this position because I know how this club was.
“I’ve done so much against anything that this is beauty. I just see beauty, opportunity, and I want to get it done for all these people that have been in this journey with us. And because they deserve it, because it’s been unbelievable.
“That’s what has driven me every single day. I have zero fear. Fear I had when, ‘Oh, if we don’t get this done, this club, I don’t know what is going to happen.’ That was fear. Now, there’s no fear. It’s just purpose, fire, direction and conviction that we’re going to do it.
Football. London
