In order to be ready for their match against Aston Villa on Sunday, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jakub Kiwior did not attend Arsenal’s final training session.
With a victory that would secure their position atop the Premier League standings for a minimum of one more week, Mikel Arteta’s team will host the Villains. However, Kiwior and Gabriel missed the Gunners’ final practice before the game, thus the manager of Arsenal might have to do it without two of their regular starters.
Center-back After missing Arsenal’s Friday training session due to an Achilles injury he has been dealing with for the past month, Gabriel was also absent from the team’s Saturday final preparations on the Emirates Stadium surface. Kiwior, on the other hand, was also not involved.
During Arsenal’s exciting 2-2 Champions League tie with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, the Poland international, who has taken on the left-back position in recent months, was substituted for Oleksandr Zinchenko at halftime. Takehiro Tomiyasu may replace Gabriel at center back, and Zinchenko is now expected to start against Villa.
When questioned on Friday about the team’s injuries, Arteta played it close to the vest. “We still have one day left to get the match ready. The Gunners manager said during a press conference prior to the game, “We will see if everyone is available tomorrow.”
Due to a suspension, Douglas Luiz, a vital midfield player for Villa, is out. Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara, and Emi Buendia are still out, although Matty Cash and Clement Lenglet have resumed training after being laid off and might play.
When Villa manager Unai Emery returns to the Emirates in front of fans for the first time since being replaced by another Spaniard in December 2019, Arteta anticipates a challenging test.
“What they’ve done since Unai came in… He’s made a huge impact at the club in terms of performances and consistency, it’s unbelievable what they are doing,” Arteta commented. “They’re still in European competition and they played last night so its really impressive with what they’ve done.”
While Emery led Villa to a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in December, the former manager of the Gunners is adamant that Sunday’s match is “completely different.” “We played here at Villa Park in December (compared to) the match we are going to play on Sunday,” Emery continued.
“There are a lot of people back playing and competing in those squads, so it feels familiar. But, because we’re playing at the Emirates and in a new setting—they’re now vying for the Premier League trophy—we’re playing differently. We’re battling with Tottenham [for a Champions League spot] and with them in an effort to maintain our current fifth-place standing. Additionally unique in that certain players won’t play on Sunday due to injuries, of course.”