Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that right-back Ben White is not available to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The Gunners have recently secured back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and they are currently top of the table, five points ahead of Manchester City.
The Cityzens still have a game in hand against Crystal Palace, and the onus is on Arsenal to continue their winning streak when they face the Seagulls on the road.
Ahead of the clash, Arteta has revealed that White will be sidelined for the third game running with a knock. He did not provide any timescale for the 28-year-old’s return.
Arteta simply said: “Ben is not available.”
While White has been ruled out, there were positive injury updates on David Raya and Declan Rice, who picked up minor knocks during the 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
Arteta said on the duo: “Yes, David is good. Good to go. I hope so. He was much better today [on Rice]. Obviously, we haven’t really trained because we have only two days to prepare the game. So, hopefully, it’s going to be better tomorrow.”
Max Dowman is also available for selection after his recent ankle injury. Arteta added that captain Martin Odegaard may need to be assessed, having been struggling with a knee problem sustained at Brentford.
Arteta added on Odegaard: “We have to wait and see how comfortable he is to do certain actions.”
Arsenal have not fared well in late kick-offs away from home this year. They played out a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest before another 1-1 stalemate against Brentford last month.
The Gunners were cruising to a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but somehow squandered the advantage. A David Raya error gifted them a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser.
Hence, tomorrow’s game at the Amex Stadium won’t be straightforward. Brighton like to play an attacking brand of football and prefer to high press opponents from the start.
Arsenal should fancy their chances of scoring against Fabian Hurzeler’s side, but they also need to be wary of the threat Brighton possess through Kaoru Mitoma and Diego Gomez out wide.
The Gunners have already beaten Brighton in the Carabao Cup and Premier League this season. They will be eyeing a third-straight victory in tomorrow’s encounter on the South Coast.