Arsenal’s injury concerns have eased ahead of their Premier League clash against Fulham this weekend.
After reclaiming top spot from Manchester City with a win against Newcastle, Mikel Arteta’s side have the chance to move six points clear at the top of the table when they welcome London rivals Fulham to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Eze Recovered for Champions League Tie
Eberechi Eze was forced off in the 1-0 win over Newcastle last Saturday but shook off a knock. He was a second half substitute as the Gunners drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Martin Zubimendi also recovered from illness to feature in Spain, leaving Arsenal in a decent place fitness-wise as they bid to win a first-ever Premier League and Champions League double.
Havertz and Timber Still Sidelined
Arteta is expected to be without Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber once again after they both missed the draw with Atletico.
Havertz lasted just 33 minutes against Newcastle as a muscular injury forced him off and was ruled out of the trip to Madrid, like Eze.
“They are muscular niggles,” Arteta said of Havertz and Eze in the post-match press conference.
“We don’t think it’s too much. We have to wait and see if they can be available for Wednesday.”
Expanding on why Havertz had to go off, Arteta added: “He had a little niggle.
“I don’t know how serious it is. It didn’t look to big. The action, the way he describes it, is not too sharp. But we have to wait and see.”
Arsenal are optimistic Havertz will return in time to play a role in the run-in.
Calafiori’s Limited Game Time
Riccardo Calafiori played the entire 90 minutes against Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 7, but has not featured for Arsenal since.
It has been another frustrating season on the injury front for the Italian, who has not started two consecutive Premier League matches since the start of December.
Despite being tipped for a return to the matchday squad against Newcastle, Calafiori was left out again.
Though, he was on the bench against Atletico as Arteta confirmed beforehand that he was available for selection.
Timber’s Groin Problem
It is well over a month since Jurrien Timber last played for Arsenal.
The defender was forced off in the 2-0 win over Everton on March 14 and has subsequently missed the last nine games in all competitions with a groin problem that also saw him withdraw from the Netherlands squad for games against Nor
Potential return date for Calafiori: Saturday May 2, vs Fulham (H)