Arsenal injuries mounting ahead of crucial WSL & Champions League title clashes by Michelle
I’m starting to get a little bit of Deja Vu here.. The first half of Arsenal Women’s 2022-23 season was blighted by a serious run of injuries, like when we asked Just how much are Arsenal Women’s injuries hurting them right now?
Read my article, written in November 2022, and then read on to see just exactly where Arsenal Women are, in terms of first-team squad injuries, right now.
Right now being with our Gunners WSL clash with top-of-the-table Manchester United on the horizon, as well as our Champions League Semi-Final clash against Wolfsburg..
So let’s jump forward to the here and now. Arsenal Women’s injuries are seriously mounting once again, with the following updates as best as can be provided at this time:
Beth Mead is out for the season due to an ACL injury she sustained in November, when our Gunners lost 2-3 to Manchester United, at the Emirates.
Vivianne Miedema is also out for the rest of the season, due to an ACL injury she sustained in a December match against Lyon.
Kim Little (C) had to leave the pitch injured, within the first 10 minutes of Arsenal 2-0 win over Bayern Munich last month – though her injury could be short term.
Lina Hurtig has been struggling with a foot injury picked up during the February Internationals;
Steph Catley has also been recovering from a non-contact foot injury, though she hinted she could be back for selection in the coming days, see the tweet below). Catley was not on international duty with the Matilda’s this week and her match fitness may be an issue.
Alicia Ferguson is joined on the sideline by none other than Steph Catley at half-time.
The Arsenal and Matildas star chats the opening 45 and the update on her injury.
Watch LIVE | https://t.co/9k5jLM8c1X#BarclaysWSL #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/zFdqZBVQKl
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) April 2, 2023
Caitlin Foord sustained an injury, being forced to leave the the pitch during Arsenal’s critical 2-1 win over Man City. Caitlin, like Catley, missed international duty with her national Australian team this week.
Lia Walti may be out of action for a while, as she left her Swiss national team camp this week, taking some leave from club and country to recharge.
If both Kim Little and Lia Walti are unavailable for selection, Arsenal’s midfield will be pushed to the limit. The Arsenal squad are in a position to fight for the WSL title and the Champions League, but it’s not going to be easy.
Playing Manchester United after the international break (19th April), with a somewhat reduced first-team squad, that may be missing the aforementioned players, as well as Katie McCabe – who is suspended for the Man United clash, due to picking up yellow cards in 2 consecutive WSL games. Eidevall’s available choice could look like this:
Zinsberger, Marckese, D’Angelo; Wienroither, Maritz, Williamson, Rafaelle, Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Goldie; Mannum, Pelova, Kühl; Blackstenius, Gio, Taylor
Hopefully Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, and Kim Little could return to boost Arsenal’s chances of taking care of Manchester United, like they did with Manchester City, edging them that little bit further up the WSL table. Our Gunners simply MUST WIN this Man United clash to keep their title hopes alive.
By the time the Wolfsburg Champions League semi-finals game arrives (23rd April), a number of injured Arsenal players will be back. Yes, injuries have hampered Arsenal’s women’s season, but they have consistently produced results despite the absence of some of their most reliable players.
We may be concerned about what will happen, but we can trust the boss, Jonas Eidevall has everything planned.
Michelle Maxwell
Follow Michelle on Just Gooner Women on Twitter for regular updates on the Arsenal Womens Team!
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