Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are each early health considerations forward of Arsenal’s Premier League conflict with Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
The Gunners got here by means of a tense end towards Brighton, holding on for a 2–1 victory that lifted them again to the highest of the Premier League.
Timber picked up a knock throughout Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening and was subsequently absent from the matchday squad for Saturday’s 2–1 dwelling success towards Brighton.
Calafiori, in the meantime, had initially been named within the beginning XI however was compelled to withdraw after worsening an current difficulty through the warm-up, with Myles Lewis-Skelly stepping in to take his place.
‘There are accidents with Jurrien; he landed awkwardly.’ Mikel Arteta stated.
‘And one thing with Ricci [Calafiori] was very, very unusual.
‘It’s one thing that he felt yesterday, one thing very awkward that occurred, and in the present day within the warm-up he wasn’t comfy.’
With simply two days to recuperate, Timber and Calafiori face a race towards time to be match for Arsenal’s assembly with Aston Villa on the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Arteta did obtain a lift through the Brighton match, with Gabriel Magalhaes returning within the second half.
Blow
Manchester Metropolis briefly moved above Arteta’s facet earlier on Saturday, however Arsenal shortly hit again to reclaim a two-point benefit on the summit of the title race.
The Gunners made a powerful begin and had been rewarded with a deserved opener within the 14th minute, as Bukayo Saka capitalised on a unfastened ball earlier than laying it off for Martin Odegaard, who drove a fierce long-range strike into the bottom-right nook.
Arsenal’s second arrived in unlucky vogue for Georginio Rutter, who climbed to take care of a harmful Declan Rice nook however may solely divert the ball into his personal web.
No Premier League facet has profited from extra personal objectives than Arsenal this season, with three, whereas Brighton, who at the moment are winless in 5 matches, have conceded three themselves, with solely Wolves letting in additional.
The guests decreased the deficit simply after the hour when Diego Gomez reacted quickest to smash dwelling the rebound after Yasin Ayari’s low shot struck the publish.
Regardless of that temporary scare, Arsenal steadied themselves to safe a sixth straight dwelling league victory, their longest such run for the reason that 10-game stretch between April and December 2022.
