Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko will both miss the Gunners' final two games of the season through injury.
Martinelli featured from the first whistle in last week's 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, where he clattered into Kaoru Mitoma within just a few minutes and controversially escaped punishment.
Not long after that incident, Moises Caicedo brought the Brazilian down from behind, and he tried to carry on before ultimately limping off on the 20-minute mark to be replaced by Leandro Trossard.
A recent report stated that Martinelli would sit out the remainder of the campaign and could take several weeks to recover from his problem, while Zinchenko picked up a calf injury against Newcastle United earlier this month.
It was initially claimed that the Ukrainian would not play again this season, but Arteta curiously denied such reports, and Zinchenko was seen in team training prior to the defeat to Brighton.
© Reuters
The left-back was not passed fit to make the squad, though, and speaking to the media on Friday morning ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest, Arteta confirmed the worst.
"They are both out for the rest of the season," Arteta responded when asked for an update on Martinelli and Zinchenko's conditions.
When pressed on how long both players might be sidelined for, Arteta suggested that the former's issue is a more severe one, adding: "It's different. Gabi's is a pretty nasty injury.
"We need to assess next week how long he will be out for, but it will be weeks at least. With Alex, it's a calf issue. He won't be available to play in the next few games."
The pair join William Saliba (back), Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny (knee) on the sidelines for Arsenal's final two games versus Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the Tricky Trees could mathematically end the Gunners' title chances with a win at the City Ground this weekend.
© Reuters
Having won just two of their last seven matches in the Premier League, Arsenal have been accused of throwing the title away to Manchester City, but Arteta has affirmed that his side will not "bottle" their opportunity to stay alive in the race for glory.
"We have shown this season, and we are still there with two games to go. We can still be champions, against probably the best team in the history of the Premier League, for 10 months and we are still there with two games to go," Arteta added.
"We're not going to bottle that, that's for sure. What happens next season will depend a lot on what we do, how we evolve and how we start. That prediction is very difficult to make today."
Thanks to last week's humbling at the hands of Brighton, Arsenal sit four points below Manchester City having played a game more, and defeat to Nottingham Forest would confirm the Citizens' status as champions.
A draw would mathematically keep Arsenal's hopes alive, but they would need Pep Guardiola's side to lose their final two games alongside a significant swing in goal difference, while Man City need only beat Chelsea on Sunday to finish first if Arsenal overcome Steve Cooper's men.
No Data Analysis info
