Injury problems are greatly impacting Arsenal and Brighton before their fourth round tie in the Carabao Cup with a fresh blow revealed

Mikel Arteta has issued injury updates on William Saliba, Declan Rice and several other Arsenal stars(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images))

Arsenal and Brighton are set to be without several key players through injury for their Carabao Cup fourth round clash at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening. Mikel Arteta oversaw another win for the Gunners this past weekend, but five potential fitness problems came to light.

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William Saliba was at the centre of the first concern as he was replaced at half-time by Cristhian Mosquera. At the conclusion of their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, Gabriel Martinelli was spotted limping down the tunnel with Arteta confirming both will be unavailable to face Brighton.

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“He [Saliba] is out,” he said on Tuesday afternoon. “No [don’t know how long he will be out]. We are assessing him, but he won’t be involved. Looks as well that he [Martinelli] is going to be out. We are going to have to do a few more tests, but looks that this game will come too early.

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There were also early substitutions for Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, but both are confirmed as available having overcome illness and a leg problem, respectively. Arteta revealed in a press conference that Riccardo Calafiori had also suffered a potential blow but his latest public comments have stated he is fit to feature.

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Arteta is already dealing with several big injury absences including Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke. The trio are at different stages of the respective recoveries

“[The long-termers] are progressing really well,” he said last week. “They are starting to do certain activities. They are super willing to be available as quick as possible. But at the moment, none of them are in contention in the next week or so…

That update also applies to Gabreal jesus who is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered back in January. The Brazil international recently shared an update on how his rehabilitation is going.

Ben White is one player that has been troubled by injury over the last 12 months even after undergoing a minor procedure last November with Arteta providing a detailed update on his condition.

“It was an injury that kept him out for a few weeks, and we had to manage his load,” the Arsenal boss said of his newest problem that he has since recovered from. “He’s in a good place now; he’s been training more rece

“I don’t know [if the club regret not going the surgery route earlier], that’s more for the medical staff, but we want to protect our players, we don’t want to damage them. Ben will play through anything you really have to scratch and ask him, and hopefully, now he’s going to get that rhythm.

As for their opponents, Fabian Hurzeler held a press conference on Tuesday morning where he revealed a new injury blow with James Milner set to miss the cup clash due to a “small muscle issue”.

Kaoru Mitoma, Joel Veltman and Brajan Gruda are others dealing with minor problems with Hurzeler suggesting the trip to Arsenal comes too soon for returns.

“They are getting closer, but I don’t think they have a chance to be in the squad tomorrow,” he admitted.

There is hope Jack Hinshelwood can return from a foot injury in November and will therefore miss the game. Solly March and Adam Webster, meanwhile are not expected back until 2026.

We take a look at the biggest headlines surrounding Arsenal as two causes for concern emerge for the Gunners’ despite them extending their lead in the Premier League

Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace came at the cost of several Injuries

Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday strengthened their claim as this season’s Premier League title favourites. The Gunners were unspectacular offensively but an acrobatic volley from Eberechi Eze against his former side and another rock solid defensive effort was enough to secure all three points.

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Mikel Arteta’s side extended their lead atop the table to four points, having won 11 of their 13 games in all competitions while only conceding three goals. In those matches, they have kept an astonishing 10 clean sheets, proving they are the best defensive side in Europe at this moment in time.

That feat is even more impressive given they have faced several teams they dropped points against last season. And now, as Arteta’s men turn their attention to Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Brighton, Mirror Football brings you the latest news surrounding Arsenal.

READ MORE: Arsenal sent clear Premier League title race message after Liverpool and Man City stumbleREAD MORE: Declan Rice sends Arsenal message after injury scare and Mikel Arteta update

Arsenal’s injury scares

The narrow victory over difficult opponents in Palace came at a cost, as four players sustained injuries of varying degrees during the game. Arteta confirmed post-match that he had to substitute William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori during the game as they picked up injuries.

Saliba was taken off for Cristhian Mosquera at half-time, while Rice went down injured in the dying minutes. The Arsenal midfielder was substituted for Mikel Merino after being attended to by the team physio, and Calafiori was withdrawn at the same time, with Piero Hincapie making his Premier League debut off the bench.

Declan Rice suffered an injury on Sund

“William Saliba felt some pain. Declan [Rice] was the same,” Arteta said to Sky Sports. Speaking to the media, he added: “The first one was Willy, he was out from a knock that he took. And Ricci too.

“With Declan I don’t really know because it was knock, whether it was a calf or an Achilles.”

Gabriel Martinelli finished the game but also “felt something”, according to the Arsenal boss. He added: “Yeah I think [Martinelli is okay]. He said he felt something, we do not know if it is a muscular issue or not.”

Damning stat

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Arteta is hoping to bring an end to a damning stat(Image: Getty Images)

The Gunners will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself after a shocking stat emerged following the Palace win. With Arsenal now on 22 points in the league, it marks the seventh time the north Londoners have achieved the milestone after nine games.

However, they have stunningly only won the league in one of those seasons despite their dominant starts, that being the 2003/04 Invincibles campaign. Arsenal have therefore picked up the unwanted reputation of being nearly men in recent times, having come close to lifting the Premier League trophy in several of those seasons before drifting off later down the line.

We’ll be looking to extend our winning run to eight matches in all competitions when we host Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, October 29, and you can see how we’ve been preparing for the tie with our latest training gallery.

Our winning run began with a 2-0 success away to Port Vale in the previous round of this competition. Since that victory, we’ve won both of our Champions League matches and all four Premier League games, including Sunday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to win the league cup for the first time since 1993, while the Seagulls are chasing the first major trophy in their history.

Swipe through the gallery below, captured by our club photographer, Stuart MacFarlane, to see the best of the action from training: