Arsenal will look to build on their resounding win against Crystal Palace when they host Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Friday.
After frustrating draws against Fulham and Everton, Mikel Arteta’s side were back to their attacking best with a 5-1 away win against Palace.
The victory also saw the Gunners close to the gap on Chelsea in second to just two points, while extending their unbeaten run to ten games in all competitions.
The win, however, was overshadowed by a first-half injury to Bukayo Saka which saw the winger forced off after just 24 minutes.
Arteta hinted after the game that he was ‘worried’ by the injury and scans have since confirmed the severity of the hamstring problem which will rule Saka out for the rest of the Chrismas period at a minimum.
‘It’s not looking good. He’s going to be out for many weeks,’ the Spaniard confirmed in his press conference on Monday.
Leandro Trossard replaced Saka off the bench, with Martinelli moving to the right wing but Arteta hinted that Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri were also options to fill in for Saka.
Raheem Sterling would have been another likely candidate to replace Saka on the right side, but the 30-year-old is also now set for a spell on the sidelines having picked up an injury in training late last week.
‘He’s gonna be out for weeks I believe,’ Arteta said on Monday. He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury.
‘It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s gonna be out for a while.’
With five goals in his last two games, Gabriel Jesus is surely set to keep his place up front, with Havertz potentially deployed further back in midfield as he was last week.
Joining him in midfield could be the returning Declan Rice who was not fit enough to start on Saturday but played 33 minutes and scored off the bench.
The Englishman could replace Thomas Partey at the base of midfield if Arteta does not want to risk the Ghanaian with another game in quick succession given his track record with injuries.
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Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori could return in defence in place of Myles Lewis-Skelly having replaced the youngster midway through the second half on Saturday.
The Italian, though, may not be risked from the start on this occasion having endured an injury-affected start to his life at the Emirates.
Elsewhere, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remained sidelined, with the trio unlikely to return until the New Year.
Predicted Arsenal XI to face Ipswich Town
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard
Where to watch Arsenal vs Ipswich Town? Kick-off time and TV channel
Arsenal vs Ipswich Town kicks off at 8.15pm on Friday, December 27. The match will be broadcast in the United Kingdom on Amazon Prime.
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