Arsenal Team News: Saliba could start at Palace while Tomiyasu definitely out

By Lee Connor

Arsenal will take on Crystal Palace this weekend against a backdrop of injury worries after their battle with Sporting Lisbon last night.

The Gunners went out of the Europa League on penalties after Gabi Martinelli missed his effort. It means all focus for Arsenal is now on the Premier League push. Starting this weekend with a clash with manager-less Palace.

However, while on paper it might seem an easy fixture, Mikel Arteta is wading through a raft of injuries after the Sporting defeat.

And according to Football.London, Takehiro Tomiyasu will definitely miss the clash with Palace. The Japanese defender left the field early on against Sporting, with Arteta confirming after that he looked in serious pain.

It seems, then, that Arsenal’s worst fears have come true over Tomiyasu, with FL now ruling him out of the game this weekend.

Fortunately, Ben White appears to be fine and should be ok to fill in at right-back. However, there could be more problems for Arteta, after William Saliba also came off with a knock, while Gabriel Magalhaes is also said to have cramped up at the very least.

Arteta, then, might have to delve deep into his squad to see off Palace.

TBR’s View: Tomiyasu injury is a blow for Arsenal at a crucial stage

The only shining light really here is that it’s come with an international break in front of us. That means Arsenal can assess Tomiyasu and go from there, in the hope he comes back quickly.

The clash with Sporting has definitely left its mark though. And really, it’s why some fans simply wanted the tournament done with for another year.

Arsenal, should, in theory, beat Palace. But with injuries stacking up and 120 minutes played, it will be a trickier game than some imagine. Certainly, without Tomiyasu, and potentially Gabriel and Saliba, the task looks a lot harder.