Arsenal have been dealt a second injury blow as William Saliba had to be substituted in the first half against Sporting CP with a suspected muscle injury in his lower back. The French defender was taken off following Granit Xhaka's goal to open the scoring and give the Gunners a 3-2 aggregate lead in the tie.
Takehiro Tomiyasu was forced off inside 10 minutes with a suspected knee injury, being replaced by Ben White. Now Mikel Arteta is facing yet another huge injury concern after having to substitute Saliba and bring on Rob Holding in the French defender's place.
The Gunners were unable to call upon both Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny for the match against Sporting as both players continue to recover from injury. Gabriel Jesus has been handed his first start since before the World Cup, whilst Emile Smith Rowe was only fit enough to be named amongst the substitutes.
READ MORE: Arsenal vs Sporting CP LIVE: Kick-off time, TV channel, confirmed team news, live stream details
Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the rest of his players can avoid picking up injuries after losing two key defenders in the first half. One positive for the Gunners is that they now lead in the tie and have taken a big step towards qualifying for the Europa League quarter-finals.
It remains to be seen how long both Tomiyasu and Saliba are sidelined for, but they are now serious doubts for the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace this weekend. Should both players be set for lengthy lay-offs, it may hamper Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League and Europa League this season.
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