Four Arsenal stars who could miss Preston North End cup clash through injury

Preston North End have an exciting fixture with Arsenal at the end of October.

The Lilywhites’ reward for beating Fulham in a penalty shootout, is another home tie against a Premier League club. With no disrespect to Fulham, but Arsenal are a big club, and when the draw was done, anyone with an association to PNE, will have been excited by the prospect of mixing it with a serious title contender to Manchester City.

Playing against some of the big boys isn’t an alien concept for the club. Last season, North End played against Chelsea in the FA Cup, a year before that against Spurs, and have also come up against Liverpool in the EFL Cup back in October 2021.

As to what kind of team Mikel Arteta picks remains to be seen, but there are some big stars on show who make an appearance. Bukayo Saka is one after becoming a key member of the England squad, as well as his three Lions teammate Declan Rice.

Arsenal are having to juggle the Premier League, Champions League, and the EFL Cup this month. It doesn’t help the North London club however that they are currently dealing with some injuries, that could prevent some of their players from making the trip up to Lancashire.

Norweigan playmaker Martin Odegaard has an ankle injury that he suffered whilst on international duty in September. He's been earmarked for a possible return in late October, and the game against PNE could be a way of nursing him back in to things.

Centre-back Ben White has missed the last three games with a groin injury. Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko has a calf injury that he suffered during the international break, and that forced him to miss a block of fixtures. White and Zinchenko’s return dates are not yet clear.

Kiernan Tierney isn't expected to feature much in Arteta's plans. A hamstring injury whilst playing for Scotland at EURO 2024 scuppered a move this summer, and right now he's not training.

All four of those players look likely to miss out, but there are also some doubts on other players. Jurrien Timber spent last season on the sidelines with an injury, but has had a prominent role this season. He suffered a muscular injury against PSG in the Champions League, but is expected to return after the international break.

Kai Havertz had to withdraw from international duty due to a knee problem. Arsenal have three games in eight days when they return from the international break, and they will hope he's fit for those fixtures.

Another player that had to withdraw from international duty was Thomas Partey. He started in every league and Champions League match, but will now undergo some tests to assess his injury.