Jurrien Timber absence explained as Arsenal star left out of squad vs Brighton | Football | Sport
Despite being spotted at the Emirates Stadium, Jurrien Timber will not feature in Arsenal’s match against Brighton. The sight of the Dutch defender entering the ground had led many Arsenal fans to anticipate his inclusion in Mikel Arteta’s squad for the game. However, when the team sheets were revealed 75 minutes before kick-off, Timber’s name was nowhere to be found, not even among the substitutes.
Arteta explained Timber’s absence to Sky Sports News: “We missed him because in the last part of the game he felt something and he could not carry on so he’s out.” He further added: “To all the medical (staff) and the player, they have all been pushing very hard and working extremely hard in the last few weeks to make him available for this game.”
Gabriel was named as a substitute for the match after a long injury layoff. The Brazilian has been sidelined since the November international break, when he sustained an injury during a match against Senegal at the Emirates.
Discussing the centre-back’s fitness during his pre-match press conference earlier this week, Arteta said: “We’ll have to wait and see. He hasn’t trained yet, he’s still doing his rehab. But hopefully as quickly as possible because we know the situation that we have in the back line.”
Piero Hincapie has also made his return to the starting XI to face Fabian Hurzeler’s side. The Ecuadorian was considered a doubt going into the encounter, having picked up a shoulder problem against Everton last weekend, which ruled him out of the Gunners’ midweek Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace, where the North London outfit emerged victorious following a dramatic penalty shootout.
Here’s Arsenal‘s complete line-up to take on Brighton at home in the Premier League…
Starting XI: David Raya, William Saliba, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyokeres.
Bench: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The match has come too soon for Kai Havertz to feature. The attacking midfielder has been absent for most of the campaign so far due to a knee problem, with Arteta discussing his circumstances earlier this week.
He said: “I think it will be a matter of days, if not weeks. Let’s see in the next step how he responds to that. He’s a player that we missed a lot, a player that brings the team into a different dimension. So, I’m really happy to have him back very soon.”
Arsenal will be vying for a full three points to reclaim their Premier League lead from Manchester City. This comes after Pep Guardiola‘s outfit clinched a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s early kick-off, nudging them a point ahead of the Gunners.
