Arsenal potentially face a situation of playing Per Mertesacker in the FA Cup final against Chelsea following a series of injuries over the past week. The north London will be without Laurent Koscielny due to his recent suspension while there are other injury causalities on the list.
Gabriel sustained a medial ligament injury in the second period of the 3-1 win over Everton, and he is due to be sidelined until the start of next season at the least, via Sky Sports News. Meanwhile, Shkodran Mustafi still to recover from his alleged concussion earlier last week while Kieran Gibbs is also a major doubt with a recurring thigh strain.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Wenger confirmed that the club are short in the defensive department for Wembley, but they will have to adjust with the options in hand.
“It just shows you how unpredictable football can be; it’s absolutely unbelievable,” Wenger said, via The Telegraph. “We have been hit hard in a position where we will need to be strong on Saturday.”
The north London giants have a good history at the national stadium after having lifted the FA Cup in two of the last three seasons. In spite of this, there is a sense of anxiety surrounding the club owing to the Gunners’ poor record versus the Blues.
The Gunners ended their long winless streak against their London counterparts earlier in the campaign, but they were visibly outplayed in the second outing at Stamford Bridge.
Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have blown hot and cold over the course of the season, and their influence could be key to avoiding another trophyless season under Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal finished the recently concluded Premier League season in fifth position – one point behind fourth-placed Liverpool, who clinched the final Champions League qualification spot.
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