Arsenal Coach Mikel Arteta delivered some team news and updates ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, revealing that Ricardo Calafiori, and Piero Hincapie were out for the game.
Speaking during his press conference at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday, Arteta confirmed that a couple senior team players, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba also remain doubtful for Wednesday night’s meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
He said, “Trossard and Saliba are being assessed ahead of the tie, with late decisions to be made on their availability.”
Arteta did not go into full details of the injury issues affecting the players but he emphasized that his squad is prepared to wade through the injury concerns and any changes as Arsenal look to win the tie against their London rivals.
The Arsenal boss also said that the injuries to Saliba and Trossard are not serious, but he didn’t specify when Ecuadorian defender Hincapie would return.
Calafiori is also progressing but still expected to be out on the sidelines for a few more weeks, while centre-back Cristhian Mosquera is still out with an ankle injury, meaning that Arsenal remain short on defensive options, as most of the players out are defenders.
Last season, Arsenal failed to progress to the final of the Carabao Cup following an emphatic 4-0 aggregate defeat by Newcastle, and they were also knocked out of the semi-finals of the Champions League by PSG and lost out in the title race too.
They now head into Wednesday’s first leg still fighting in all four competitions, as they look to secure silverware this season.
