Mikel Arteta has ruled Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard out of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United, but says Gabriel Magalhaes should be in line to feature.
£42m summer signing Calafiori has missed Arsenal’s last two games after hobbling off during the Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
He will miss a third successive match on Saturday when Arteta takes Arsenal to St James’ Park to face Newcastle.
Long-term absentee Odegaard will also miss the game despite recent reports suggesting he could make his long-awaited return in the fixture.
The Arsenal captain has been out since the start of September when he picked up an injury whileon international duty.
In better news for Arsenal – who are third in the Premier League, five points behind defending champions Manchester City – Gabriel is expected to start against Newcastle after hobbling off during last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
The Brazilian defender missed Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Preston in midweek but will travel with his team-mates to Newcastle providing he comes out of the team’s final training session unscathed.
‘Yes, it’s good news on Gabriel,’ Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
‘We have a training session today. If he’s able to do that he’ll be in the squad. He hasn’t trained yet but he could be okay for tomorrow.
‘Riccy [Calafiori] and Martin [Odegaard] are out, definitely. With Ben [White] we don’t know yet. He could not train so let’s see what happens.
Asked if Odegaard was closing in on a return from the sidelines, Arteta added: ‘Now is the stage when he’s going to start to do certain work with us.
‘Let’s see if he deals with pain if physically he’s able to compete. With the work he’s put in I would be surprised if when he’s back training with us we don’t say he’s ready.’
Arsenal, bidding to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004, made a superb start to the 2024-25 campaign but one point from their last two games has seen them lose ground on Man City and Liverpool.
‘You want to be first,’ Arteta said on Arsenal’s league position. ‘We arrive in the mix. We know the tough challenge and we’re going to be ready for that.
‘The league position after nine games is very tricky. [Newcastle] are super intense and I’m looking forward to it.’
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have failed to produce their best form so far this season and sit 12th in the Premier League ahead of their clash with Arsenal.
The Magpies have not won in the league since mid-September, though they beat exciting Chelsea in the Carabao Cup during the week.
