ARSENAL CONFIRM REASON FOR ZINCHENKO MISSING DERBY VS SPURS

Arsenal fans were expecting a threadbare squad ahead of their huge north London derby clash against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, with a multitude of injuries and suspensions expected for the Gunners on their short trip across the capital - but boss Mikel Arteta will have to put up with one more absence, with the club confirming that Oleksandr Zinchenko is out of action with a calf injury.

Declan Rice's red card against Brighton before the international break ruled him out of contention, but news worsened when Martin Odegaard picked up an ankle knock on national duty. And, alongside freak injuries to Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori - who has suffered a foot injury following Italy's game vs France - the news of Zinchenko's period on the sidelines has seen the Gunners name an incredibly young bench to face Ange Postecoglou's men.

Oleksandr Zinchenko 'Out' With Calf Injury'

The Gunners have a weakened side for the derby day outing

Reporting their team news ahead of Sunday's north London derby, the Gunners confirmed the news that everybody expected, with Odegaard being out injured after suffering a setback on international duty with Norway.

However, there was some further unexpected news that landed on Zinchenko, with the former Manchester City left-back - who cost Arsenal £32million back in 2022 - confirmed as being ruled out with a calf injury to add to Arteta's injury woes. Their post on X (formerly Twitter) read:

The injuries beset to Arsenal means that their starting XI isn't overly bad, but their bench includes a number of youth players. In that sense, Zinchenko could be one of the biggest absentees that Arteta could have wanted to avoid.

His versatility means that he can play at left-back, defensive midfield and central midfield, with a potential push to right-winger to invert on his left foot. And, with Rice and Merino out, he would almost be guaranteed to come on in the middle of the park for experience and fresh legs later in the game.

Arsenal's Youth Options Could Make Their Bow

The young Gunners could be forced into action

Arsenal's bench options are surely some of the lightest they have had in years. Whilst there are genuine squad players such as loanee goalkeeper Neto, defender Jakub Kiwior and experienced attackers in Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, their academy has had to be called upon for the crunch clash.

Ethan Nwaneri is arguably the most prominent youngster. There had been rumours of him potentially starting for the Gunners in midfield, but due to his age and general lack of experience, the prodigy has only been selected to potentially feature from the dugout. It could have been a step too far for him against the talented midfield duo of Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison.

Elsewhere, Maldini Kacurri, Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ismeal Kabia are also in contention to play should Arteta need them at that moment in time, and it will be interesting to see which of the quintet are called up - especially with the trio of Kiwior, Jesus and Sterling being the only experienced outfield options, with five substitutions allowed.

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 15-09-24.

2024-09-16T00:18:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd