Arsenal could be without an “underrated” member of their squad for tonight’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium, with manager Mikel Arteta looking to secure the Gunners’ second victory in Europe this season.
Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk – match preview
Arteta’s side endured their first loss of the season last weekend, succumbing to a 2-0 loss away at Bournemouth, with star defender William Saliba given his marching orders on the half-hour mark.
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It was an afternoon to forget for Arsenal, who also watched Premier League title rivals Man City and Liverpool both secure 2-1 victories against Wolves and Chelsea respectively.
Ryan Christie’s 70th-minute strike undid all of their hard work defensively before a Justin Kluivert penalty 10 minutes from added time sealed their fate on the south coast.
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games | Date |
---|---|
Liverpool (home) | October 27 |
Newcastle United (away) | November 2 |
Chelsea (away) | November 10 |
Nottingham Forest (home) | November 23 |
West Ham United (away) | November 30 |
Leandro Trossard was among Arsenal’s average performers at Bournemouth, but there were a few to choose from during a very difficult encounter. Arsenal will be desperate to get back to winning ways against Shakhtar this evening, but the Ukranian champions won’t be easy customers either.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has been sidelined by another long-term injury and is set to miss Shakhtar tonight, alongside the likes of Kieran Tierney, who has been named in their European squad list but remains absent with a hamstring problem.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s tie, Arteta drew attention to the number of absent players in Arsenal’s squad right now and their hectic fixture calendar as factors which helped cause their first loss of the season.
“Very clear, we put a bit of perspective into the situation,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Bournemouth.
“Obviously we want to win in any context. The reality is we made that context very difficult for ourselves. It was very difficult already with the amount of players that we had out, the schedule and the games that we had to play, but that’s the reality. For that game we didn’t get away with it. We could’ve done and it would’ve been a very different narrative. The reality is we didn’t and now the context is that we have lost one game in six months. Ok, now we have to win again, with the context that we have lost for the first time in six months, so let’s show it.”
Arsenal could be without Bukayo Saka for Shakhtar Donetsk clash
A real miss for Arsenal has been club captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard. Arteta confirmed before Bournemouth that Odegaard is in the latter stages of rehab and could be back fairly soon, but this evening’s fixture comes far too early.
Another big miss has been star winger Bukayo Saka, who was forced to miss their trip to Bournemouth last weekend after picking up an injury on international duty with England.
Ahead of Shakhtar this evening, Arteta confirmed that Saka is an injury doubt for Arsenal, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll feature.
“They are closer and both progressing really well,” said Arteta on Odegaard and Saka.
“Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on.”
Saka’s importance to Arsenal is crystal clear, and Arteta will be desperate to have him back fit and firing as soon as possible. The 23-year-old looks set to be a crucial role yet again this campaign, despite still being “underrated” by a lot of people according to journalist Charles Watts.
“I think Saka’s season has been absolutely underrated by a lot of people,” said Watts on Inside Arsenal earlier this year.
“I think he still had a really, really good season. His numbers are fantastic. He’s exceeded any other season, and this is one where you’d say he hasn’t always been at his best. He just gets booted around constantly, gets up, keeps going.”