This Saturday sees Arsenal take on high-flying Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Gunners will face off against former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who is at the heart of the newly-promoted side’s impressive Premier League run this season.
Ahead of this clash, Express Sport brings you all the latest big news from the Emirates.
Update on Gyokeres’ injury
Striker Gyokeres will be absent for Arsenal’s journey to the north east on Saturday evening. He has been omitted from Sweden’s squad for their upcoming matches against Switzerland and Slovenia. It’s believed he’s grappling with a hamstring injury.
The Swedish forward was substituted at half-time during Arsenal’s 2-0 triumph over Burnley last weekend and he’ll now undergo scans to ascertain the severity of his injury.
Mikel Arteta is set to provide an update on his striker’s current condition at Friday’s press conference. “I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he had to leave the pitch and he was feeling something and that’s obviously never a good sign,” he expressed on Monday.
“Especially for a player that is very, very explosive, so we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of injury and we will announce it when we know more. He was very disappointed after the match [at Burnley] with what he felt, but this is part of football.”
A ‘new Ronaldo’ has been found
Gabriel Martinelli has affectionately dubbed Mikel Merino ‘R9’ following Arsenal’s Champions League triumph. Scoring twice on Tuesday, Merino took to Instagram with the caption: “Champions League nights”, with Martinelli leaving a friendly comment comparing him to the legendary Brazilian forward.
With Gyokeres unavailable, Merino has stepped up front and performed admirably in the absence of the main man. Arteta spoke highly of the Spaniard after the game.
“It’s a joy to have him,” the manager explained. “I always say the same thing. It’s his versatility on the pitch, the things that he can do, it’s his mindset, it’s his leadership, it’s the way he is as a person.
“Today, we are missing a lot of attacking players, and we have to find different solutions. He comes in the Champions League and scores two goals.”
Kimmich is looking forward to the Arsenal challenge
Bayern Munich defender Joshua Kimmich believes the upcoming clash with Arsenal will provide a true test of where the German giants stand in European competition.
Vincent Kompany’s side secured a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening, with former Liverpool front man Luis Diaz netting twice. The German club now face Arsenal at the Emirates on November 26. Reflecting on the PSG triumph, Kimmich said: “We are first and have Arsenal in the next game. Then we can see once again where we stand.
“But in Paris, especially the first half, we were already outstandingly good. We were incredibly resilient, had many really good chances and were physically very present. I must say, the first-half was one of the most intense halves of my career, of both teams, this constant man-on-man game and in the second half it felt even more intense.”
