Arsenal encountered two new injury issues following their 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup fourth round.
The match began with Noni Madueke putting Mikel Arteta’s aggressive squad ahead after just 11 minutes, followed by Gabriel Martinelli scoring eight minutes later to double the lead. An own goal by Jack Hunt added to Wigan’s woes, and Gabriel Jesus completed the first-half scoring, putting Arsenal four goals up within half an hour.
Despite their dominant performance, Arsenal didn’t increase their lead, but the win marked their advancement past the fourth round for the first time since their FA Cup triumph in 2020, keeping alive their hopes of achieving an extraordinary quadruple.
However, concerns arose as left-back Riccardo Calafiori was a late withdrawal due to an undisclosed injury, necessitating the promotion of Bukayo Saka from the substitutes’ bench. In the second half, right-back Ben White also required treatment before leaving the pitch aided by a physio.
When asked about the injury situation post-match, Arteta confirmed: “Calafiori and Ben are the only doubts. We’ll have to see how they develop over the next 48 hours.”
He further clarified the absence of captain Martin Odegaard: “With Martin, we need to wait and see; he picked up a knock during the play that led to our conceded goal against Brentford midweek and wasn’t fit for today.”
Calafiori has faced fitness challenges recently, missing much of January due to a muscle injury, and has only started two matches this year. White has also been cautiously managed since returning from a hamstring injury in December.
Meanwhile, Arsenal is still without Mikel Merino, who is dealing with a foot injury, and Kai Havertz, who sustained a muscle strain this week. Addressing the accumulating injuries within the squad, Arteta remarked: “Yes, especially now that we are progressing in the tournament. It started with strikers, then defenders, and now it’s midfielders, but we’re managing.”
“We need players back on the pitch not only for depth but to provide different options depending on our opponents. The sooner they return, the better.”
On a positive note, William Saliba made his return to the field after a recent illness, playing an hour before being substituted for teenager Marli Salmon.