December 12th 2024.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori have been absent from the last three games for Arsenal, but the team is hopeful to have them back in action this weekend as they face Everton at the Emirates. Manager Mikel Arteta has been missing these two key players from his starting defense, causing some struggles in recent matches against Manchester United, Fulham, and Monaco in the Champions League.
However, Arteta has hinted at the possibility of their return in his pre-match press conference on Friday. He will provide an update on their status after their training session at the end of the week. The injury situation in the backline has been a mystery for weeks, but Arteta did reveal that Gabriel has been dealing with a muscular problem due to a busy schedule with both club and country. Calafiori, on the other hand, has been recovering from a groin issue.
There were further concerns when Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber missed training on Tuesday. Partey, who has been filling in at right-back, played the full 90 minutes in the midweek match against Monaco while Timber came off the bench in the second half. In that same game, Gabriel Jesus started up front but missed two chances to score, leading to Kai Havertz coming on and scoring the team's third goal.
As Arsenal prepares for their match against Everton, they will have to do so without injured players Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu who are recovering from knee issues. This could lead to a lineup that includes Raya, Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Odegaard, Rice, Merino, Saka, Havertz, and Martinelli.
Last weekend, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Fulham, putting them six points behind league leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand after their match against Everton was postponed. Chelsea has now moved ahead of Arsenal into second place. The match against Everton will kick off at 3pm on Saturday, December 14th and will not be broadcast live in the UK.
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