January 18th 2025.
Unfortunately, Arsenal's game against Aston Villa on Saturday was missing one key player - William Saliba. The talented France international was sidelined due to a nagging hamstring injury, much to the disappointment of manager Mikel Arteta. This setback is just the latest in a string of injuries for the Gunners, who are already struggling with a number of absences from their first team.
Thankfully, the club has assured fans that Saliba's injury is only minor and they are hopeful that he will be back on the field in the coming weeks. This news will surely come as a relief to Arsenal supporters, who have grown to appreciate the 23-year-old's solid performances on the pitch. In fact, Saliba has already made 30 appearances for his club and country this season, forming a formidable defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
However, this is not the first time Saliba has been sidelined this season. He previously missed only one Premier League game due to a hamstring issue, which he seemed to aggravate during the closing minutes of Wednesday's match against Tottenham. As a result, he was not seen in the team's training photos released on Friday, and Arsenal is not taking any chances with his recovery. They consider him a key player and won't risk further injury by rushing his return.
In Saliba's absence, Jurrien Timber will take his place in the center of defense, while Thomas Partey will once again be called upon to fill in at right-back. Unfortunately, Riccardo Calafiori is still unavailable, so the team will have to make do with these changes. However, there is some good news as Mikel Merino is back in the starting lineup after being out with an injury, and Gabriel Martinelli has regained his spot in the starting eleven from Raheem Sterling, who will start on the bench.
Stay tuned for more updates as the game progresses.
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