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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapie, and Riccardo Calafiori. The Gunners will face Championship side Portsmouth away in the FA Cup Third Round on Sunday, January 11.
Arsenal have faced multiple injury issues this season, with a significant one being Kai Havertz. The German attacker has made just one appearance this season and has been recovering from a knee injury. He has returned to training, and when asked if Havertz could feature against Portsmouth, Arteta said (h/t Football.London):
"If everything goes well, I think so. I think he’s going to be in the squad again in the next few days. He trains well, he’s increased his load, he’s coping with that really well. And it will be great if we can have him."
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Meanwhile, about Riccardo Calafiori, Arteta said:
"I don’t think so. I think that game is going to be too early for him."
Piero Hincapie was taken off in Arsenal's Premier League clash against Liverpool on December 8. When asked if he could feature on Sunday, Arteta said:
"I don’t know, we have to see the extent of what happened to Piero. He could not carry on in the second half, so I don’t know exactly what it is. But Myles [Lewis-Skelly] is having chances, he’s playing and he’s doing well, so he needs to continue to do that."
Calafiori has made 20 appearances across competitions this season, while Hincapie has made 18.
Mikel Arteta opens up on whether he gets enough credit for the 2020 FA Cup win with Arsenal
The Gunners appointed Mikel Arteta as their head coach in November 2019 following Unai Emery's sacking. He led them to the FA Cup trophy, as they beat rivals Chelsea in the final. Arsenal have failed to win a major trophy since then, leading to immense criticism.
In his pre-Portsmouth press conference, Arteta was asked if he feels he gets enough credit for the 2020 FA Cup win. He answered:
"I don’t know. At the end, I think we have to get judged, and we get judged for what we do today - and last week is not important. We will get judged for what we are able to do at the end of the season."
"One thing is the trophies for our football clubs, and many other things that you have to do in a football club, especially in the situation we are in. I don’t expect that, I’m really happy where I am with the people that I work with, and hopefully, at least they know that we will give our very best to try to win as much as possible," he added.
Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League for the last three seasons. However, they have failed to reach the final of any cup competition since winning the 2020 FA Cup.
