Arsenal have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their FA Cup final with Chelsea after it was confirmed that Shukdran Mustafa will miss the Wembley showpiece through injury.
That hasn’t exactly been the case for Arsenal since the Premier League resumed, but with their slight upturn in form – at times – the German’s displays have improved marginally – too, at times.
Shkodran Mustafa will not be able to play the remaining matches of this season.
? Full team news update ahead of #ARSWAT ?
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 24, 2020
But Mikel Arteta must now face a do-or-die final against the Blues without Mustafa, who has not recovered from a hamstring strain in the semi-final victory over Manchester City. As you would expect, he is also out of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Watford, as the club have confirmed.
After defeat to Aston Villa in their most recent top-flight clash, the Gunners now have no chance of qualifying for the Europa League through the league. Financially as they are, the importance of the FA Cup final is greater than ever for Arsenal – who must overcome Frank Lampard’s men or miss out on European football altogether.
With Arteta’s late adoption of a back three, the likely outcome will be Rob Holding coming into the team as a direct replacement. The Englishman has made just seven league appearances this season as he has struggled to fight his way into the starting line-up following a long-term injury lay-off, but he will relish the opportunity to come up against Chelsea at Wembley. .
His most impressive display for the club came during the 2017 FA Cup Final, where – from three behinds – he helped Arsenal to a 2–1 win and a record-breaking 13th title in the competition. What’s the name?
Leno is forced off during the loss to Brighton/Mike Hewitt/Getty Images.
There was some welcome news for Arteta on the injury front, with Bernd Leno returning to full training in the coming days after being stretchered off against Brighton. Pablo Mari, Gabriel Martinelli and Callum Chambers are all eyeing a return sometime before the end of the calendar year.
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