Mikel Arteta is still dealing with several minor injuries within his Arsenal squad as the Premier League leaders travel to Wolves this evening.
The Gunners made several changes at the weekend as they cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over League One sode Wigan Athletic.
Perhaps the only negative was an injury to Riccardo Calafiori sustained in the warm-up that saw him pulled from the starting lineup at late notice.
However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Arteta sounded optimistic that the Italian defender will be passed fit for Wednesday’s encounter.
‘He’s fine; he was training with us today, he’s feeling better, and hopefully he’s fit for tomorrow,’ the Arsenal boss said.
With Calafiori dropping out of the side, Myles Lewis-Skelly reverted to left-back, with Bukayo Saka deployed in an experiemental No10 role.
Arteta might be minded to deploy Saka in a similar role against Wolves, particularly with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard not set to be available.
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‘No, for Wolves he [Odegaard] is not going to be fit,’ Arteta said of the Arsenal captain. ‘But for Sunday we’re very hopeful that he can be with us.
‘Kai is the other one that again, for the weekend is a possibility, so looking forward to having him in the squad.’
Starting Saka centrally would also allow Noni Madueke to maintain his spot on the right wing after his impressive form in recent weeks.
But that decision might leave Eberechi Eze on the bench after the English midfielder produced a more encouraging display against Wigan at the weekend.
Arsenal team to face Wolves– Metro prediction
Despite Arteta’s encouraging comments on Calafiori’s fitness, it feels like a risk to throw the Italian straight back into the starting XI.
Piero Hincapie, as well as Jurrien Timber and Gabriel, were rested fully over the weekend and will surely all return in defence against Wolves.
Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are expected to return in midfield, while Arteta could bring Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres back into the starting XI further up the pitch.
Wednesday’s league encounter, which could see the Gnners move seven points clear of Manchester City, may not be the time for experiments.
And with that in mind, Arteta may therefore choose to stick with Eze in midfield and deploy Saka in his preferred right wing position, dropping Madueke to the bench in the process.
Wolves vs ArsenalTV channel, live stream and kick-off time
Wolves vs Arsenal kicks off at 8pm today (Wednesday, 18 February).
You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.
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