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Published: May 11, 2021 11:46 am
Last Updated: May 11, 2021 11:56 am
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Chelsea tie looms large:
Ahead of a tricky tie against in-form side Chelsea, Mikel Arteta has revealed the state of a squad that has been battered and bruised by a long and intense season. The Gunners were boosted by the returns of pair Alexandre Lacazette and Kieran Tierney ahead of schedule, but Emile Smith Rowe worryingly limped off in their 3-1 victory over West Brom on Sunday.
Arteta, however, seemed upbeat about the England U21 international’s chances of making the Chelsea game, suggesting that he would be in contention to play against Chelsea.
It was this fixture that kickstarted both Smith Rowe’s Arsenal career and Arsenal’s season in December, with a 3-1 victory over then-Frank Lampard’s Chelsea proving something of a turning point in Arsenal’s poor season.
Nevertheless, with Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard fit, Smith-Rowe may have to be content with a place on the bench in order to accommodate the Norwegian international, whilst selection headaches persist around Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 29: Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal at American Express Community Stadium on December 29, 2020 in Brighton, England.The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Luiz out of contention:
One player who won’t be making the trip across London tomorrow however is David Luiz, who is yet to recover from the hamstring injury that he sustained in Arsenal’s win over Newcastle ten days ago. In his press conference, Arteta said that:
“Well the situation with David [Luiz] is that he is not yet recovered, we will see how he does in the next few weeks.”
It could prove to be a big blow for Arsenal, as Luiz adds leadership and calmness in defence that Arsenal often lack without him. With no news as of yet about whether Arsenal intend to extend his contract, which expires in the summer, it is entirely possible that fans have seen the last of Luiz in an Arsenal shirt.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal reacts during the UEFA Europa League Semi-final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Villareal CF at Emirates Stadium on May 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Tough test for Arteta’s side:
Asked about Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel, Arteta said that:
“Well probably they’ve been the best team in the league in the last few months, what Thomas has been able to do since he arrived has been exceptional. He put the team in two finals, the way the team is looking, how solid they are defensively as well, how composed and regular they have been in their performance has been excellent.”
Even at full strength, Arsenal will have to play some of the best football of their season to walk away from Stamford Bridge with anything other than defeat. They may be boosted by the fact that Chelsea could feel the need to rotate ahead of their FA cup final clash with Leicester City on Saturday, but Chelsea’s squad depth will still pose a problem for the Gunners.
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This article was edited by
Tom Canton.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 35 | 46 | 80 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 34 | 31 | 70 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 35 | 23 | 64 |
| 4 | Leicester City FC | 35 | 20 | 63 |
| 5 | West Ham United FC | 35 | 10 | 58 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 34 | 18 | 57 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 35 | 20 | 56 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 34 | 4 | 55 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 35 | 11 | 52 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 35 | 0 | 50 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 34 | 8 | 48 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 35 | -12 | 45 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 34 | -20 | 41 |
| 14 | Newcastle United FC | 35 | -18 | 39 |
| 15 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 35 | -5 | 37 |
| 16 | Southampton FC | 34 | -20 | 37 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 34 | -16 | 36 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 34 | -20 | 27 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 35 | -36 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 35 | -44 | 17 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 21 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 17 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 17 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 16 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 12 |
| Wood, Chris | Burnley FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Iheanacho, Kelechi | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 10 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 10 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 10 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 7 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| McGoldrick, David | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 0 | 7 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 2 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 7 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 6 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 6 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 6 |
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