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After falling short at the finish line of the season's first trophy, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal will return to the pitch on April 4 to meet Southampton in FA Cup action.
The Gunners were chasing an unprecedented quadruple this season but could not clear the first hurdle as they were well beaten at Wembley.
That brought club play to a temporary halt as players break for the March international window. A significant number of Mikel Arteta's players withdrew from their national-team squads due to injury, although it does not seem there are any serious concerns.
Here's the latest injury picture around Arteta's squad, with the fixtures coming thick and fast once they return to club football.
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Arsenal injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Arsenal, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Leandro Trossard
- Injury: Undisclosed
- Expected return: April 4 (vs. Southampton)
Leandro Trossard withdrew from the Belgium squad for the March international break due to an undisclosed injury. "This decision will allow them to continue their rehabilitation under optimal conditions," the release said, with Club Brugge's Hans Vanaken also withdrawing. Trossard should be fine to continue with club fixtures once the window concludes.
Jurrien Timber
- Injury: Knee
- Expected return: April 4 (vs. Southampton)
Timber suffered an injury early in the eventual 2-0 victory over Everton on March 14. He went down in the opening 15 minutes but carried on as long as he could. Ultimately, he was forced off in the 37th minute, replaced by Cristhian Mosquera.
In the end, it would appear Arsenal dodged a bullet with this one. Arteta said that Timber's recovery will be "a matter of days," but he missed the Bayer Leverkusen return leg and the ensuing EFL Cup final defeat to Man City, leading to his withdrawal from the Netherlands squad. He should return following the international break.
Gabriel
- Injury: Knee
- Expected return: April 4 (vs. Southampton)
After playing the full 90 minutes against Man City in the Carabao Cup final, Gabriel withdrew from the Brazil squad due to "knee pain." It's unclear what the extent of his injury is, but he's not expected to miss much club time if any at this point.
William Saliba
- Injury: Ankle
- Expected return: April 4 (vs. Southampton)
Like his centre-back partner Gabriel, Saliba has also withdrawn from international duty, pulling out of the France squad with "recurring pain in his left ankle." The national team claimed he needs "a minimum rest period of 10 days", which is conveniently almost identical to the length of the March international break. He should return once Arsenal are back on the pitch.
Eberechi Eze
- Injury: Calf
- Expected return: April 11 (vs. Bournemouth)
Eze was excluded from the squad for the Carabao Cup final against Man City and subsequently withdrew from the England camp for the March international break. He will undergo a scan, but there is concern that he could miss a run of fixtures, with reports claiming he will miss at least two weeks and possibly more.
Martin Odegaard
- Injury: Knee
- Expected return: April 4 (vs. Southampton)
Odegaard has not felt right for much of the season, battling through a knee injury, and he has been held out of recent Premier League matches against Chelsea and Brighton as a result. "We have to wait and see how comfortable he is to do certain actions," Arteta said before the Brighton match in early March.
Odegaard will hope to return for the FA Cup quarterfinal against Southampton.
Mikel Merino
- Injury: Broken foot
- Expected return date: May
It was reported in Spain late on February 1 that Merino could miss much of the rest of the season with a broken foot, and Arsenal confirmed the injury a day later. The club said the midfielder will be out for "an extended period" while he recovers from surgery, but the intention is for him to be back in training before the season ends.
MORE: The latest on Bukayo Saka's injury in the Arsenal warmup
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Southampton
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Raya (GK)
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie
Rice, Zubimendi
Madueke, Saka, Trossard
Gyokeres
Arsenal fixture schedule: Next five games
- Southampton vs. Arsenal | FA Cup 6th round | Saturday, April 4
- Sporting CP vs. Arsenal | Champions League quarterfinal, first leg | Tuesday, April 7
- Arsenal vs. Bournemouth | Premier League | Saturday, April 11
- Arsenal vs. Sporting CP | Champions League quarterfinal, second leg | Wednesday, April 15
- Man City vs. Arsenal | Premier League | Sunday, April 19
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