Arsenal have suffered yet another injury setback ahead of their Champions League Group B clash with Sevilla on Wednesday, as Eddie Nketiah was not seen in training on Tuesday.
The Gunners lead the four-team section after a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven and a 2-1 win on Sevilla’s home turf, which followed a narrow defeat to Ligue 1 side Lens.
Mikel Arteta’s men lead Sevilla and PSV by four points, so a win on Wednesday would send them to the last 16 with two games to spare if Lens beats the Eredivisie side.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will welcome Sevilla to the Emirates after suffering back-to-back defeats in the EFL Cup and Premier League to West Ham United and Newcastle United, respectively.
Arteta is also missing Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey, and Gabriel Jesus due to injuries, despite the latter being called up to the Brazil squad for the November internationals.
The Gunners are also concerned about the fitness of captain Martin Odegaard, who missed Saturday’s defeat at St James’ Park due to a hip problem, and Arteta is unsure whether he will be available.
Following his press conference with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Arteta led a training session on the London Colney pitches, where Nketiah was conspicuously absent from the rest of the group.
The England international is said to be carrying a knock from the weekend’s loss to Newcastle, and his availability will be determined by a late fitness test.
Nketiah has yet to start a Champions League game this season, coming off the bench against Lens and PSV in the last two matchdays, but he was expected to start Wednesday’s game due to Jesus’ absence.
However, with the 24-year-old now in the care of the medical staff, Arteta faces the possibility of playing without both of his recognized center-forwards at the Emirates Stadium, with either Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli starting through the middle.
Kai Havertz put in another mediocre performance against Newcastle and controversially avoided a red card for a crunching tackle on Sean Longstaff, putting Arteta in a bind.
Fabio Vieira and Mohamed Elneny will be the Spaniard’s only options if Odegaard is ruled out, while Oleksandr Zinchenko could return to the backline.
Sevilla, meanwhile, are dealing with their own mini-injury crisis, as four-time Champions League winner Sergio Ramos is out with a calf injury.
Due to quadriceps and knee injuries, Ramos is one of five defensive absentees for the Europa League holders, who are also missing first-choice goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and one of his backups, Alfonso Pastor.
Brazilian center-back Marcao is out with a knee injury, and World Cup-winning left-back Marcos Acuna was a late withdrawal due to a hamstring problem.
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