Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hinted that both Petr Cech and Nacho Monreal could be in contention next weekend when the Gunners take on Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby at the Wembley Stadium.
The pair were substituted at different stages of the Gunners’ thumping 5-1 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, and Wenger appeared to brush off any doubts over their potential absence for the all-important derby.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the manager asserted that Monreal was substituted at the half-time break, only because he ‘was sick’, whilst Cech is said to have incurred a ‘kick on his calf’ during his attempt to gather the ball ahead of Oumar Niasse in the second period.
According to Arsenal’s official website, he said:
[On Cech]He has a kick on his calf. I don’t know medically how bad it is. Just a kick.<
[On Monreal]Monreal was sick.
It is fair to say that both players were at fault during the 3-1 league defeat at Swansea City last week, but Monreal, in particular, has been in splendid goal-scoring form of late with Mesut Ozil having a keen eye on the Spaniard’s movement behind the opposition defence.
Arsenal’s next opponents Spurs had a challenging game versus Liverpool which ended in a 2-2 thriller last evening, and Arsene Wenger’s side could benefit being the fresh of the teams at Wembley with their rivals having an FA Cup replay versus Newport County to contend in midweek.
Spurs will most probably name a side possessing a number of fringe players, but Mauricio Pochettino may nevertheless name a few regulars after suffering a near embarrassing exit against the Welsh outfit at Rodney Parade last time around.
Arsenal are presently five and six points behind Chelsea and Liverpool respectively in the top-four hunt, and their Champions League could well be alive with a first win since 2014 at Spurs, though the Wembley has good memories for the club over the years.
