Arsenal go into their clash with Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinal off the back of a tricky international break. As many as ten players pulled out of their respective nations at the behest of the federations, who deemed the players not worthy of risking and sent them back for medical examination.
Some of those players, like Noni Madueke and Piero Hincapie, suffered issues while away with England and Ecuador, respectively. They’re expected to miss the trip and aim to be back as soon as possible, while Eberechi Eze endured an injury prior to the break that is expected to keep him out.
With that in mind, football.london looks at the potential XI that Mikel Arteta could choose for the trip to the south coast. With so many players flagged with issues, heavy rotation is expected.
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David Raya was left out of the League Cup final, and Kepa Arrizabalaga made a high-profile error. It will be intriguing to see who Arteta selects, but many supporters would argue Raya should now be playing every match until the end of the season.
Jurrien Timber, along with Martin Odegaard, were both aiming to return for the cup clash and will hope to make the game. Cristian Mosquera made his senior Spanish debut and could partner a renewed Ben White after his reintegration into the England setup – both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were rested over the break with issues.
At left-back, Riccardo Calafiori played plenty of football for Italy as they crashed out of World Cup qualifying. This will, however, allow Myles Lewis-Skelly to join the captain in the midfield.
Into the forward line and with Bukayo Saka returning to the Arsenal camp after England deemed the risk too great and Madueke injured, it could be that Max Dowman gets another start in the competition against the Championship side. On the left, Gabriel Martinelli comes in for Leandro Trossard, who was another to pull out of duty with Belgium, and the Brazilian scored against Croatia for the Selecao with a great left-footed strike.
Up top, the choice between Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz is left to Arteta, but the latter might want to build more momentum and form after scoring for Germany. Gyokeres and others will likely be saved for the trip to Lisbon in midweek.
Changed Arsenal XI vs Southampton – Raya; Timber, White, Mosquera, Calafiori; Norgaard, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Dowman, Havertz, Martinelli
