Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are both early fitness concerns ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners came through a tense finish against Brighton, holding on for a 2–1 victory that lifted them back to the top of the Premier League.
Timber picked up a knock during Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday night and was subsequently absent from the matchday squad for Saturday’s 2–1 home success against Brighton.
Calafiori, meanwhile, had initially been named in the starting XI but was forced to withdraw after worsening an existing issue during the warm-up, with Myles Lewis-Skelly stepping in to take his place.
‘There are injuries with Jurrien; he landed awkwardly.’ Mikel Arteta said.
‘And something with Ricci [Calafiori] was very, very strange.
‘It’s something that he felt yesterday, something very awkward that happened, and today in the warm-up he wasn’t comfortable.’
With just two days to recover, Timber and Calafiori face a race against time to be fit for Arsenal’s meeting with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Arteta did receive a boost during the Brighton match, with Gabriel Magalhaes returning in the second half.
Blow
Manchester City briefly moved above Arteta’s side earlier on Saturday, but Arsenal quickly hit back to reclaim a two-point advantage at the summit of the title race.
The Gunners made a strong start and were rewarded with a deserved opener in the 14th minute, as Bukayo Saka capitalised on a loose ball before laying it off for Martin Odegaard, who drove a fierce long-range strike into the bottom-right corner.
Arsenal’s second arrived in unfortunate fashion for Georginio Rutter, who climbed to deal with a dangerous Declan Rice corner but could only divert the ball into his own net.
No Premier League side has profited from more own goals than Arsenal this season, with three, while Brighton, who are now winless in five matches, have conceded three themselves, with only Wolves letting in more.
The visitors reduced the deficit just after the hour when Diego Gomez reacted quickest to smash home the rebound after Yasin Ayari’s low shot struck the post.
Despite that brief scare, Arsenal steadied themselves to secure a sixth straight home league victory, their longest such run since the 10-game stretch between April and December 2022.
