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ARSENAL INJURY UPDATE

HUGE BLOW : Mikel Arteta on injury crisis: Arsenal in ‘really dangerous circle’ as Max Dowman also sidelined

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2 months ago

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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are caught in a “really dangerous circle” after a consistent spate on injuries across this season; Max Dowman is the latest Gunners’ player to be ruled out, but Arteta denies over-training is to blame; Arsenal play Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday

 

Wednesday 10 December 2025 11:09, UK

 

Image:Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are in “dangerous circle” regarding injury issues

 

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are in a “really dangerous circle” as their injury crisis worsened over the weekend with news that teenager Max Dowman has been sidelined for a number of weeks with ankle ligament damage.

 

Arsenal’s 28 injuries is the highest in the Premier League this season. Their current absentee list is made up of three centre-backs in William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera, as well as Kai Havertz and now Dowman.

 

 

 

Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie have also faced spells on the sidelines across an injury-blighted campaign, some with multiple setbacks.

 

To add to Arteta’s problems, Trossard has not travelled to Belgium for Arsenal’s Champions League match against Club Brugge on Wednesday after he limped off in defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend while Declan Rice is also absent – but through illness.

 

Gabriel Jesus, on his way back from an ACL injury, has replaced Dowman in the Gunners’ Champions League squad and could make his first appearance since January against Brugge.

 

 

Image:Gabriel picked up an injury against Olympiakos

 

Asked if training methods are partly to blame, Arteta said: “No, because we don’t have time to train. Today [Tuesday] we’ve done 20 minutes, so surely it’s not because we over-trained the players.

 

“But obviously when you are missing players, you are loading other players and there is a consequence to that, and it’s a really dangerous circle.

 

Watch Arsenal players’ reaction to Emi Buendia’s last-gasp goal for Aston Villa that ended their 18-match unbeaten run

 

“You have to separate the kind of injuries. Some of them have been long-term and some have been acute injuries. It’s something that we are constantly looking at.

 

“We have played a lot of games with a lot of players missing and that puts a lot of stress, and then you get more injuries.”

 

Commenting on Dowman’s injury, Arteta added: “With Max, unfortunately he picked up an injury last weekend, and he had to come off, so we did some scans and he is going to be out for weeks.”

 

Arsenal can make it six consecutive wins in the Champions League with victory in Belgium, almost certainly guaranteeing a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the knockout rounds.

 

Injuries in clusters poses another problem

 

 

 

Image:Kai Havertz hasn’t played a single minute for Arsenal this season

 

It is not just the volume of injuries causing problems for Arsenal. They continue to suffer injuries in positional clusters too.

 

Last season, it was most apparent up front, with Havertz tearing his hamstring in February after another injury to Jesus had increased the burden on him as the side’s only available striker.

 

 

Gary Neville believes although Arsenal will now feel Manchester City breathing down their neck, it isn’t time to panic, as they simply lost a tough match against Aston Villa

 

A similar situation occurred at right-back, as injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and White ensured a punishing schedule for Jurrien Timber, who had to undergo surgery on an ankle issue in May.

 

Arsenal paid the price for leaving themselves short in certain positions last season, particularly up front. But the problem has resurfaced this term.

 

 

Everton

Arsenal

 

Saturday 20th December 7:45pmKick off 8:00pm

 

 

An injury to Havertz at the start of the season left Gyokeres with a heavier-than-planned load. He then hurt his groin, with midfielder Mikel Merino having to fill in up front as he did last season.

 

Merino performed admirably in the role but, having been required to start seven consecutive games in the space of a month for Arsenal, either side of another two starts for Spain, he was taken off at half-time in Saturday’s loss Aston Villa, clearly fatigued.

 

Arsenal’s December fixtures

 

Dec 10: Club Brugge (A) – Champions League

 

Dec 13: Wolves (H) – Premier League

 

Dec 20: Everton (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports

 

Dec 23: Crystal Palace (H) – Carabao Cup quarter-final, live on Sky Sports

 

Dec 27: Brighton (H) – Premier League

 

Dec 30: Aston Villa (H) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports

 

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ARSENAL INJURY UPDATE

Mikel Merino will undergo surgery on a stress fracture on his foot today. Although Arsenal has not put a timeline on his recovery, he is expected to be out until the end of the season, but the player hopes to be fit for the World Cup

Published

7 hours ago

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February 9, 2026

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Mikel Merino provides Arsenal return update after surgery on foot injury: ‘Closer to being back’

 

Midfielder faces a fight to play again this season

 

Update: Mikel Merino

 

 

Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt

 

Mikel Merino has undergone surgery on a foot injury as the Arsenal midfielder begins a lengthy recovery process.

 

The midfielder picked up the issue late in the defeat to Manchester United last month, when he came off the bench and scored.

 

Merino was sent to see specialists to determine the severity of the problem, and it was discovered that surgery would be required on a bone injury in his right foot.

 

That procedure took place on Monday, with Merino taking to Instagram to share a picture from his hospital bed.

 

Merino posted: “Surgery done! Already closer to be back.

 

“Thank you so much to everyone for your messages and love. It really gives me even more energy to face the challenge. Vamos!”

 

Declan Rice said in reply: “With you brother.”

 

Martin Zubimendi, meanwhile, paid tribute to his Spanish team-mate by copying his celebration and pointing to the stands when scoring against Sunderland on Saturday.

Merino’s father recently confirmed that his son had suffered a stress fracture to his foot, an injury that Mikel Arteta has described as “very rare”.

 

Merino now faces a race to return to action before the end of the season and keep his World Cup hopes alive.

 

Arsenal hope that Merino will be fit to feature in May in the final weeks of the campaign, in what could be the decisive period for the club’s trophy hopes domestically and in Europe.

 

Asked if he expected Merino to play again this season, Arteta said:  “Well, we hope so.

 

“I don’t know. Obviously, he needs to go through a procedure, which is never always positive. He’s a big player for us.

 

“An athlete that has such versatility and capacity to compete in various positions. Yeah, that’s a big blow.

 

“Let’s see. It’s a very rare injury, so we have to wait and see once we have the surgery. How that reacts daily.”

 

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ARSENAL INJURY UPDATE

Gallery  The best training snaps ahead of Sunderland clas Cristhian Mosquera tries to tackle Martin Zubimendi in training

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3 days ago

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February 7, 2026

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We face Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, and you can see what we’ve been up to at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of the contest with our latest training gallery.

 

We’ll be looking to continue our positive form having won our last three matches across all competitions, including a late 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals last time out.

 

Our most recent Premier League game saw us thrash Leeds United 4-0, a result which extended our lead at the top of the table to six points.

 

To see how we’ve been preparing for our clash with the Black Cats, flick through our training gallery below, captured by club photographer Stuart MacFarlane:

 

 

Read more

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Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.

 

 

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ARSENAL INJURY UPDATE

Here’s the latest confirmed info on the Arsenal vs Manchester City Carabao Cup final (2025-26 EFL/Carabao Cup):

Published

5 days ago

on

February 5, 2026

By

ardiola seeks rule change to make Guehi eligible for League Cup final

Manchester City beat Newcastle to set up League Cup final against Arsenal

Today

Today

📅 Date & Kick-off

The Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City is scheduled for Sunday, 22 March 2026 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. �

Wikipedia

Kick-off is expected to be around 4:30 pm GMT (16:30 GMT), although final broadcaster confirmation may adjust this slightly. �

The Standard

🏆 Match Context

Arsenal reached the final by beating Chelsea 4-2 on aggregate in their semi-final. �

Reuters

Manchester City progressed with a 5-1 aggregate win over Newcastle United. �

Sky Sports

📺 How to Watch

In the UK the final is expected to be shown on Sky Sports and free-to-air via ITV/ITVX, with pre-match coverage typically starting about an hour before kick-off. �

The Standard

📰 Team News & Injury Updates

Arsenal

Mikel Merino is a major doubt for the final as he’s expected to be out for an extended period undergoing foot surgery. �

Yahoo Sports UK

Decisions like goalkeeper choice (Kepa Arrizabalaga vs David Raya) may hinge on form later in the season. �

Yahoo Sports UK

Arsenal’s squad situation could evolve through Premier League and European fixtures between now and March.

Manchester City

Key players such as Josko Gvardiol are likely to miss the final due to injury. �

Yahoo Sports UK

Some others – including John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Savinho – are expected to be available. �

Yahoo Sports UK

Marc Guehi is currently ineligible to play in the final under competition rules after appearing for another club earlier in the tournament; Pep Guardiola has publicly questioned this rule. �

Reuters

⚠️ Note: Team news and injury status will be clearer closer to matchday as clubs confirm their squads, fitness, and starting line-ups.

📌 Summary

Final: Arsenal vs Manchester City (Carabao Cup final)

Date: Sunday 22 March 2026

Kick-off: ~4:30 pm GMT (subject to broadcaster confirmation)

Venue: Wembley Stadium, London �

The Standard +1

If you want the local kickoff time for your time zone (Abuja/Nigeria) or predictions for the starting line-ups once confirmed, just let me know!

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