Arsenal injury update and squad news

Mikel Arteta was tight-lipped with his Arsenal team news ahead of the second leg of the League Cup semifinal against Liverpool because he didn’t “want to give anything away” about his squad. He did confirm, however, that there have been no new COVID cases at the club since Martin Ødegaard and the unknown positive case that was confirmed after the Tottenham match was postponed.

Ødegaard has completed his isolation period, is back in training, and should be available for the Liverpool cup match. Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney are also both back in training after the knocks picked up in the first leg. Arsenal are hopeful that Emile Smith Rowe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Calum Chambers will all be available as well, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one, two, or all three held out of a non-league game. Cedric Soares, who injured his hip, will not be available.

Thomas Partey should be back at London Colney soon following Ghana’s shocking 3-2 loss to Comoros that knocked the Black Stars out of AFCON. Partey won’t be available for Liverpool but could be ready for Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back in London undergoing medical examinations related to the post-COVID cardiac issue that led to Gabon sending him home from AFCON. Mikel Arteta gave no updates on Aubameyang’s status with the squad, saying that the first thing they have to do is pinpoint and treat his medical issues and that they’d go from there. I expect we’ll get a few weeks of “it’s a medical issue” to swat away questions about the former Arsenal captain. That is, if Aubameyang isn’t moved before the close of the transfer window (and he might be, there is reportedly an offer from a Saudi club).