Declan Rice injury latest as another Arsenal midfielder ruled out vs Newcastle United
Arsenal and Newcastle United latest team news ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal head into their Premier League clash against Newcastle United light on bodies (kick-off 4:30pm).
Newcastle won 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in January in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and a repeat of that success on Sunday will see them leapfrog the Gunners into second place and secure Champions League qualification with one game of the season to spare.
Eddie Howe’s side beat Chelsea 2-0 at the weekend, despite being without some key players. Kieran Trippier and Joe Willock missed out through injury while Joelinton is likely to miss the rest of the season along with Lewis Hall and Matt Targett.
But Arsenal are also suffering with injuries and now a suspension following their 2-2 draw at Premier League champions Liverpool.
Arsenal impacted by injuries & suspension ahead of Newcastle United clash
Mikel Merino netted the equaliser at Anfield but moments later was sent off for picking up a second yellow card. It means the former Newcastle midfielder will miss the visit of his former club as he serves an automatic one-match ban.
With both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined in recent months, Merino has often been deployed as a striker but dropped back into the midfield versus the Reds to cover for Declan Rice.
The England international has only missed three Premier League games this campaign but remains a major doubt against Newcastle after Arteta revealed: “I think he is struggling, it does not look good.”
Should Rice be unavailable, Arteta have little choice but to bring in Oleksandr Zinchenko to partner Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard in a three-man midfield with Jorginho still recovering from a lung issue.
Who starts as the central striker could also be an issue for Arteta after Leandro Trossard was forced to withdraw in the 78th minute on Sunday.
In defence, Jurrien Timber was on the bench on Merseyside but Arteta revealed after the game that right-back was not fit to play. Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both ruled out until the 2025-26 season.
Newcastle United early team news vs Arsenal
Trippier (calf) and Willock (knee) dropped out of the squad for the 2-0 win over Chelsea and while neither problem is thought to be serious, it could be enough to end their respective seasons.
“We don’t think they’re big injuries. But there’s such a short amount of time left now before the end of the season. We’d love to get them back fit, and able to play a part, but at this moment in time, I’ve not really got any idea whether or not that’s possible.”
Meanwhile, Newcastle will assess Sven Botman this week after getting through 55 minutes on his return from three months out with a knee issue.
Howe explained: "He was slightly uncomfortable in the half time break with a knee problem. I don't think it's serious. He was obviously OK to carry on but he was feeling something so, tactically, I thought it would help us to change."
“We hope so,” Howe added. “He was icing a problem at half-time, so we hope he's okay. With that in mind and the fact I felt we needed to change tactically, we made a change, brought Lewie on.
“It was a big moment for Lewie and I thought he handled that situation, a lot of pressure on him, really, really well, so I was really pleased. But the second half was very much a tactical affair with lots going on, so I'm pleased with the adaptability of the squad.”