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Arsenal were without William Saliba for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, leaving fans sweating over the star centre-back’s whereabouts.
Saliba’s only absence was enforced this season, courtesy of a one-match ban for his red card. 2-0 loss to Bournemouth In October last year.
The Frenchman was expected to start alongside Gabriel for the visit to Villa, who continue to go from strength to strength under the former’s management. Armory boss, Unai Emery, but was a surprising omission when the lineups were announced.
Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that “he felt something before the match, something muscular.” “I don’t think it’s too much, but he couldn’t train (on Friday). He wasn’t feeling well enough to play, so we have to assess the situation.”
With limited information provided by Arteta, Saliba will be an obvious concern ahead of the crucial run of fixtures. Arsenal try to chase down Liverpool in Premier League title race – Reds strike late at Brentford early on Saturday Get a huge 2-0 win – and Champions League games coming up against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona.
The Gunners also need to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Newcastle.
Saliba joins other first-team regulars, adding another layer to Arteta. an injury A headache will rule out Bukayo Saka for at least another few weeks – the England winger is recovering from a torn hamstring – and Saliba’s defensive colleagues, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, are also out of action.
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL recently Defeat to Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.
