Mikel Arteta Confirms Additional Player Absences Ahead of Fleetwood Town Match
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Arsenal supporters were already aware that the team would miss William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, and Christos Tzolis for their match against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, but Mikel Arteta revealed post-game that three additional players were also sidelined.
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“[Riccardo] Calafiori was out, Noni [Madueke] is also out with an ankle issue, and Declan [Rice] felt a problem recently, which required me to substitute him,” Arteta confirmed.
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Calafiori and Rice’s concerns were indicated ahead of Tuesday’s clash, but they were not thought to be serious. Following Saturday’s match against Everton, Arteta informed the media that Calafiori had a “light issue”, noting, “We’re not quite sure what it is, but he was cautious about it.”
Rice, who was replaced against Everton, later shared on social media that he was “feeling good”.
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Despite their previous progress, neither player was available for selection on Tuesday, raising doubts about their readiness for the upcoming match against Liverpool.
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The situation with Madueke remains concerning, especially given Saka’s injury and Max Dowman’s suspension. If Tzolis does not return this weekend, Arsenal may have to rely heavily on Madueke for their match against Liverpool.
Unfortunately, there is limited information on the winger’s injury at this time, aside from Arteta’s remarks.
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