Mikel Arteta will need to call upon a number of squad players to face Liverpool as Arsenal risk being without five key stars.
The Gunners chuntered to a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, with the visitors’ goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk turning the ball into his own net in the first half.
But the win was clouded by the forced substitutions of Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White.
The Italian defender was forced off in the second half after his knee turned inward when slipping over on the turf, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be sidelined for the visit of the Reds.
Ben White also came off, however Arteta confirmed post-match his substitution was purely tactical as the defender was on a yellow card.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka appears to be ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with England, while William Saliba is serving his suspension for his red card at Bournemouth last weekend.
Jurrien Timber is also an injury doubt as he’s been absent from the last two match day squads, whilst Martin Odegaard remains unavailable due to a serious knee injury.
There’s no rest for the wicked, though, and Arsenal will want to bounce back from their 2-0 loss to Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League, even with their growing list of absentees.
And Arteta made that clear after the Champions League mid-week win, with the Spaniard telling ESPN: “Believe me, on Sunday vs Liverpool we will be flying. Trust me on that”
The Gunners welcome league leaders Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and Arteta and co will now be mapping out how to line-up with a number of regular starters out.
Arsenal’s squad depth has improved over the last few seasons, and thankfully there’s a number of back-ups they can rely on.
But which of those understudies will be trusted to topple the high-flying Reds? talkSPORT.com has taken a look…
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Defence
David Raya has started every game this season bar one, so he’s likely to continue between the sticks. With guaranteed starter Saliba unavailable and Calafiori potentially nursing a injury, Arteta will turn to other defenders to keep Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz at bay.
Jakub Kiwior has had limited opportunities this season aside from substitute and Carabao Cup appearances, but will likely come in beside Gabriel in central defence.
A start for 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly may come too soon even though he replaced Calafiori on Tuesday. Therefore it’s likely Oleksandr Zinchenko will be called in at left-back if he’s ready after recovering from his calf injury. Ben White stays on the right.
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Midfield
The midfield is set to see a trio of familiar faces, with Declan Rice and Thomas Partey staying in the line-up.
With captain Odegaard out, it’s likely experienced professional Jorginho will come in and take the armband.
That gives Rice the licence to charge forward into the final third and create, while Partey can help protect the back line and press from a central position.
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Attack
With Saka absent, Arsenal can turn to Leandro Trossard to inflict some fear in the Liverpool back line, with the Belgian likely keen to show he can be a starter.
Gabriel Martinelli will switch flanks to cover for his normal fellow winger’s absence having shown his ability to play on the right-hand side at the back end of last season.
That leaves Kai Havertz to lead the line. The German has scored six goals and bagged one assist this season, with four of those goals coming from playing up front in the league.
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