Arsenal will have to cope without Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba for the final three games of the title race.
Saliba has failed to recover from a back problem that has troubled him since the middle of March, while Zinchenko picked up a calf injury during last Sunday’s win at Newcastle.
It means they will miss the rest of this season in what is a major blow to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League.
The Gunners are currently one point behind leaders Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand.
Arsenal are next in action when they take on Brighton at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, before travelling to Nottingham Forest and hosting Wolves on the final day of the season.
City face Everton two and a half hours before Arsenal on Sunday, before facing Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford in their final games.
With Saliba and Zinchenko out, Arteta has a defensive headache to solve. Rob Holding was originally filling in at centre-back, but Jakub Kiwior has taken his place for the last two games.
The Poland international has performed well and is expected to keep his place for Sunday’s game with Brighton. Tierney is set to come in for Zinchenko at left-back and it will provide the Scot with a rare start.
He has slipped behind Zinchenko in the pecking order this season and has been linked with a move away in the summer. Newcastle are one of the clubs keen on signing Tierney.
