Arsenal’s injury concerns deepened after Cristhian Mosquera was taken off during Wednesday’s clash against West London side Brentford at the Emirates Stadium.
The league leaders entered the fixture without their leading centre-back duo of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba. Mosquera and Piero Hincapié have filled in during their absence – yet the former now appears at risk of joining them on the treatment table.
Mosquera fell awkwardly after challenging Kevin Schade for a header, needed attention on the pitch, and was substituted for Jurrien Timber after being seen in discomfort shortly before half-time.
The extent of the problem that forced his withdrawal is still unclear. Mikel Arteta later indicated in his press conference that there was some uncertainty over whether Mosquera had picked up an issue in the ankle or the knee.
He said, ‘Yeah, we have to wait and see. It’s probably part of the knee or ankle; we don’t know. He could not really tell us exactly how it was, but he wasn’t able to continue.’
Mosquera blow, Rice boost
Declan Rice, on the other hand, was also taken off in the 83rd minute after going down with an issue in his calf.
The England international also had another dominant display against the Bees, but went down in the closing moments of the encounter and was substituted with just seven minutes remaining.
‘Yes, obviously it’s never good news,’ Arteta told reporters after the game.
‘Declan had to come off; we don’t know. We have to see tomorrow what he’s got. And Mosquera is the other one that is out.
Obviously, we have Gabriel and Willy out as well. So we have to adapt.’
Concerns surrounding Arsenal’s latest fitness scares have eased slightly, as both the club and Rice believe he has avoided a calf setback despite finishing the Brentford match in visible discomfort.
Once the final whistle sounded, the 26-year-old moved freely around the turf with his teammates, applauding the Arsenal crowd who were already seated by 7:30.
While leaving the Emirates, Rice told Sky Sports News’ Gary Cotterill that he felt ‘fine’. However, medical staff are still expected to recheck him before training resumes on Friday, ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s visit to Aston Villa.
Arsenal will hope to halt Aston Villa’s four-match winning run in their next big test against the Villains at Villa Park on Saturday, 6th December.
