Arsenal duo Martin Zvimendi and Ben White have given Mikel Arteta another fitness scare ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game against Fulham. The latter was nowhere to be seen during public training at London Colney, but Zvimendi watched the match from the touchline alongside Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta.
However, Arteta received encouraging news regarding the involvement of Piero Hincapie, with the deadline-day signing having missed five games due to a groin strain and only played limited minutes since joining Bayer Leverkusen. The Gunners have been hit by injuries throughout this season, with William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all sidelined.
Captain Odegaard is out with a knee injury and is expected to be sidelined until November. The Arsenal captain missed two different games with a shoulder problem before suffering an MCL problem before the October international break.
Noni Maduke and Kai Havertz are also aiming to return next month, but Arteta’s assessment of the German suggests he could return sooner than expected. “Kai and I know we’re going to be together for months. It could be weeks, I don’t know, but you never know… I really miss him,” he confessed in September.
“Hopefully he’ll be back, and he’ll be back long-term, so it’s very important to take care of his knee. So far, he’s doing pretty well.”
Both Saka and Saliba have played extensively in their respective countries over the past two weeks and are close to full fitness and are expected to start against Fulham.
Julian Timber’s outstanding performance at right-back has kept White sidelined, but Zvimendi’s potential absence at Craven Cottage could pose a serious problem.
The summer signing came on as a substitute in the win over West Ham United earlier this month, but Odegaard’s problems forced him to come on earlier than planned.
He played 144 minutes for Spain during the domestic break, with Mikel Merino also appearing in both games, scoring a double and maintaining his scoring streak on the international stage.
If Zvimendi is not fit to play, Rice could take his place in a more defensive role, or Christian Norgaard could serve as a direct replacement, with Rice staying further upstream.
Arteta is expected to provide an update on the pair’s status at Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Fulham.
