William Saliba absence for Chelsea vs Arsenal explained as Mikel Arteta confirms blow
by Josh Holland · football.londonWilliam Saliba is out of Arsenal's huge Premier League clash against Chelsea due to a knock sustained in training. The defender was the noticeable absentee from the Gunners' line-up at Stamford Bridge named by Mikel Arteta.
The Frenchman has been a mainstay in the north Londoners' defence this season, missing just the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in September due to an ankle injury.
"Yesterday in training he was uncomfortable, so we need to explore a little bit more what happened," Arteta said before kick-off. "I don't think it's something major, but enough not to be involved in the game."
Saliba has been forced to play without his usual partner in Gabriel Magalhaes after the Brazilian suffered an injury during the international break. However, Arsenal will line-up with a new back four against Chelsea.
The game against Enzo Maresca's men is only the second time that the Gunners have been without both players since the win over Southampton earlier this year.
In the aftermath of the confirmed team news, the club tweeted the reasoning behind Saliba's absence. Writing on X, they wrote: "William Saliba misses out after a knock in training, while Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres return to the squad."
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Summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie both start against Chelsea. Hincapie was key in last week's 4-1 win over Tottenham while Mosquera starts in the league for the first time since the 2-1 win over Newcastle.
Gyokeres has been forced to miss the last two Premier League games due to a muscle injury, while Jesus is back in the matchday squad for the first time for 11 months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United.
The Brazilian had participated in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier this month and Arteta admitted pre-Chelsea that he would be eased back into first-team action. “We have to see," the Gunners boss said.
"He’s been out 11 months and you need that progression to see how his body and that knee reacts, and what else he needs. With the players that are available as well, it has to make sense with the balance of the squad. The good thing is it’s very close at the moment.
“It’s what we see every single day and how he reacts to the changes he had in load. Then he needs to get into the chemistry of the team, understanding the things in match-time which is very different to anything he tried to do in training. It’s about making those gaps as short as possible.”
Leandro Trossard is also out of today's game after picking up an injury in the Champions League win over Bayern Munich in mid-week. Gabriel Martinelli replaces him on the left-hand side.