Arsenal team news: Arteta offers injury update on 4 players ahead of Chelsea trip

Mikel Arteta has provided fitness updates on Granit Xhaka, Pablo Mari, David Luiz and Emile Smith Rowe ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Chelsea.

Xhaka has missed Arsenal’s last two matches after suffering a groin injury during the pre-match warm-up ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg stalemate with Villarreal last week.

Mari completed the full ninety minutes against the Spaniards but picked up a foot injury during the game at the Emirates and was subsequently forced to miss Sunday’s 3-1 victory over West Brom.

Luiz has been on the sidelines with a thigh injury in recent weeks but has returned to full training and Arteta says the Brazilian will be assessed along with Xhaka and Mari to see whether they’ll be able to face Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Arsenal returned to winning ways yesterday with victory over Sam Allardyce’s West Brom but Emile Smith Rowe limped off with a hamstring injury in the second half having earlier opened the scoring with a fine volley.

The 20-year-old will need to be assessed by club doctors ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge but Arteta is hoping it’s nothing serious. The Gunners boss even hinted it may have been cramp as Smith Rowe is still adjusting to playing at the top level every three days.

Arteta told Arsenal.com:

on Emile Smith Rowe limping off…
I don’t know, he felt something in his hamstring so we took him off.

on whether he could be out for a while…
I don’t know. Sometimes he cramps and that’s something that’s been happening for a while because he’s still adapting to the league, to the amount of games every three days. Hopefully it’s nothing major.

on whether David Luiz, Mari or Xhaka will be fit for Chelsea…
Let’s see how they recover. Again, we’ve lost so many players in recent weeks, so many big players. They have a huge effect in the team and it will be great because we have a very difficult game against [Chelsea].

Arsenal head to Chelsea on Wednesday night sitting ninth in the Premier League table – four points behind seventh-placed Tottenham with just three games remaining – so they desperately need a positive result in West London.