Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has performed down any severe issues over Kai Havertz after the German ahead needed to be eliminated with blood pouring down his face throughout Wednesday’s loss to Inter.

Havertz led the road for the Gunners on their Champions League journey to San Siro, failing to seek out the web because the guests fell to a controversial 1-0 loss. After Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half penalty, Arsenal had many of the ball and racked up 20 photographs with out ever actually coming near discovering a approach past Inter’s Yann Sommer.

The guests have been nonetheless pushing in stoppage time as Havertz challenged Yann Aurel Bisseck on the again submit. Arsenal‘s ahead got here off worse. Sommer hurriedly urged medical workers to take care of Havertz, whose face was quickly lined in blood.

Arteta allayed any issues over the German’s well being after the midweek defeat, revealing: “Kai, he has a giant reduce. He needed to come off as a result of he wanted some stitches. Hopefully, he will likely be OK for the weekend.”

Havertz wasn’t the one Arsenal participant compelled off with harm. Mikel Merino didn’t emerge for the second half after taking a blow to the pinnacle of his personal.

The Spanish midfielder was on the epicentre of two penalty choices. Shortly earlier than he was penalised for a handball in Arsenal’s field, Merino was denied a spot kick after Sommer missed a cross and inadvertently punched the visiting participant.

“No, he was not concussed,” Arteta defined. “Yesterday and at present he was already not feeling nice and after I checked out that I made a decision to take him off as a result of I want him 100%.”

Whereas Havertz and Merino seem to have prevented any lasting harm in a dismal loss, Arteta was additionally in a position to welcome again his much-missed captain Martin Odegaard. The talismanic playmaker has sat out the final two months with a sprained ankle, however has been eased again into coaching in current days and made a cameo look at San Siro.

Arteta will want as many gamers as doable for a Premier League go to to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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