Arsenal had a disappointing outing against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg.
The Gunners were trailing in the game, but a penalty from Kai Havertz towards the end of the game equalised the tie for them.
Next, Mikel Arteta’s team will host Everton, and after that, they will host Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
Now, Arsenal will have some injury concerns ahead of the clash against the Toffees. First of all, Mikel Merino will obviously be out.
The Spaniard underwent foot surgery due to the fracture he suffered during the game against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta said post-surgery (via London World):
“You’re talking about bone healing, so you need to be patient. I’m sure Mikel is going to do everything that he possibly can to speed up the process.
“We’re talking about months, whether it’s three, four or five, we don’t know.”
Martin Odegaard did not feature for the Gunners against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup, and he was also out of the tie against Leverkusen. So, the Norwegian remains a doubt for the Everton game.
Now, as for Ben White, the right-back returned to the bench for the Gunners for their Champions League tie against Leverkusen. So, he will be fit for the clash against the Toffees.
However, Leandro Trossard remains a doubt for Mikel Arteta. The Belgian was close to returning for the Leverkusen game but missed it, as he was not even on the bench.
So, it is likely that Trossard will be absent for the game against Everton at the Emirates. The Gunners will surely miss his presence on the left flank.
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