Mari KO the latest blow to Mikel & Co
ARSENAL’S recent improvement will be tested by an injury to key defender Pablo Mari.
The Spaniard suffered a calf injury in training and, according to manager Mikel Arteta, will be out for “a few matches”.
Left-back Kieran Tierney (inset) is undergoing a scan on a similar muscle injury but the hope is that it is not too serious as he was pulled out of Thursday’s draw with Crystal Palace at the last minute as a precautionary measure.
Mari (below), the cornerstone of a revival that has seen Arsenal collect 10 points from their last four Premier League contests, is definitely out of Monday’s game against Newcastle, but Gabriel is set to return.
Arteta said: “I think Mari will miss a few matches but we’ve got Gabi back after Covid, which is good news, and we’ve got Thomas Partey back as well. Let’s focus on the positives.”
Arteta hinted that Partey could be ready to start against Newcastle after an injury-plagued beginning to his Arsenal career.
“Thomas hasn’t played much football in the last four months but now we have the reassurance that he can compete so now we’re going to be looking for the next step,” he said.
Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin said the goalless draw against Palace showed a new-found resilience.
“We want to be a team that is hard to beat – if we cannot score we want to make sure we aren’t conceding either so we can get that
point,” he added. “We should be happy in the sense that we kept another clean sheet but now it is time for us to push forward and keep scoring. “Then there will be nothing to worry about.”