Arsenal v Brentford: 15 players could miss Premier League clash with Bukayo Saka and Ben White injured for Gunners
Published 30/12/2024 at 12:49 GMT
Arsenal take on Brentford without several of their key players, including Bukayo Saka, while the Bees go into the game with potentially up to 11 absentees. Arsenal are hoping to reel in Liverpool, who have an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit after beating West Ham. Brentford, meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of Mark Flekken and Ben Mee, as well as several others.
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Arsenal will travel to Brentford with some of their biggest players still missing, while the Bees could enter the Premier League encounter with as many as 11 absentees.
The Gunners are looking to make inroads into Liverpool - who have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League after their romp over West Ham - but must attempt to do so despite a season pockmarked with injuries to key men, after Martin Odegaard's absence earlier in the campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on New Year’s Day, with the game live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Arteta to be without big stars
Most significantly, Arsenal will be without talisman Bukayo Saka, who was forced off midway through last week's 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace with a torn hamstring. Arteta confirmed the England star had undergone surgery and would be out for "many, many weeks".
Saka’s understudy, Raheem Sterling, is also a possible absentee against Brentford, with the attacker having suffered a knee injury in training at London Colney last week.
Arteta initially said Sterling was set for weeks in the treatment room, only to give a more positive assessment of the Chelsea’ loanee's injury after Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Ipswich on Friday.
"We have to see this week how he evolves," Arteta said on Sterling.
"We probably expected the knee injury to take longer than it has evolved in the last few days. Hopefully that’s good news because we need him."
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Ben White, who has not played for the Gunners since a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back on November 10, is also expected to be absent, having undergone a minor knee operation to resolve a lingering joint problem last month.
Updates on his recovery have since been limited, and it remains to be seen whether White will be fit to make any kind of return in January.
Fellow defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is Arsenal’s other long-term absentee, having suffered a knee injury during pre-season and then sustained a fresh setback after a cameo against Southampton in October.
"He’s going to be away now for a few weeks to continue with his treatment and change his environment a bit," Arteta said last month.
"Physiologically it has been really tough for him. He’s a guy that will work 24 hours to be fit and he feels terrible being out."
Bees beset by injuries
Brentford, meanwhile, have the most injuries in the Premier League, per Premier Injuries, at 11.
Shot stopper Mark Flekken was forced off with a groin problem in Friday’s encounter with Brighton, while Ben Mee also had to come off later in the game.
Afterwards, Bees boss Thomas Frank said: "On both Flekken and Mee, we have no real update. We’ll know more tomorrow when we really assess them. Hopefully, the injuries aren’t too big."
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Should both be injured for the Arsenal game, they will join Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes on the sidelines.
Defender Sepp van den Berg is also a doubt.
"It’s going to be too short a turnaround for Brighton… let’s see for Arsenal," Frank said of the Dutchman before Sunday's game.
Mathias Jensen, too, is facing a late fitness test to make the Arsenal clash, as the Bees look to arrest a run of just one win in their last six in all competitions.
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