Arsenal have a couple of injury headaches as they prepare for their crunch Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash with Real Madrid.
Mikel Arteta’s have one foot in the semi-finals after a scarcely believable display at the Emirates saw them win 3-0 in the first leg last week.
Nevertheless, the Gunners will have to be prepared for a testing second leg as the defending champions seek to summon upon all their European experience to overturn the deficit.
While opting to rotate his side for Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Brentford, Arteta emerged with two further injury doubts ahead of Wednesday’s trip to the Spanish capital.
Despite playing the full 90 minutes, Jorginho sustained a chest injury which is likely to see the midfielder miss out on the midweek clash.
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Arsenal hope the Italy international could feature again this term but there is a distinct possibility that the 33-year-old may have payed his last game for the club with his contract due to expire in June.
And there was also a problem for the goalscorer on the day, Thomas Partey, who was brought off in the 69th minute with an unspecified injury.
The Ghanaian, however, was seen in training on Tuesday and is said to have travelled with the Arsenal squad to Madrid.
Also seen in training was Ben White who missed Saturday’s clash with Brentford but now appears available again for selection.
A host of key players, including Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Odegaard, were rested on the weekend but are expected to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Calafiori has not returned to training, while Gabriel, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus remain sidelined with longer-term injuries.
Real, meanwhile, will be without the suspended Eduardo Camavinga but Aurelien Tchouameni should come back to replace him having served a suspension during the first leg at the Emirates.
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Needing goals, Carlo Ancelotti may seek to deploy a more attacking lineup, with reports suggesting that Lucas Vasquez will play at right-back to allow Federico Valverde more freedom in central midfield.
Kylian Mbappe will spearhead his side’s efforts and is available for selection despite his red card on the weekend during Real’s 1-0 win over Alaves in La Liga.
Predicted Arsenal XI to face Real Madrid
Raya; Timber; Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.
Predicted Real Madrid XI to face Arsenal
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Tchouameni, Modric, Valverde; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Where to watch Real Madrid vs Arsenal? Kick-off time and TV channel
The second-leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Arsenal kicks off at 8pm on Wednesday, April 16.
The match will be streamed live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm.
TNT Sports subscribers can also stream the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
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