£52m Arsenal star can be third player to miss FA Cup Southampton clash

£52m Arsenal star Noni Madueke can become the third Arsenal player to be ruled out for next Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Southampton at St. Mary’s.

Exactly one week is left for Southampton’s FA Cup quarter final vs Arsenal at St. Mary’s. Saints fans are running in good spirits right now, as the promotion race keeps tilting more and more in Southampton’s favour.

Moreover, club legend Matt Le Tissier and plenty of Southampton icons from the past are set to face off against Manchester United at St. Mary’s today evening. The occasion is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 FA Cup win amid the international break.

Nobody fancies reaching another FA Cup final among the fanbase, but one should never say never. Tonda Eckert’s men have rode a fair bit of luck in the FA Cup this time around by overcoming Leicester City and Fulham in the previous rounds despite being far from their best self on those nights.

A flawless performance will be required against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal that’s for sure. As for a bit of luck, the stars seem to be aligning well for Southampton to pull an upset next Saturday.

Noni Madueke might miss FA Cup tie against Southampton

Yesterday, Thomas Tuchel’s England team played the first of their two international friendlies scheduled for March. Two Arsenal players took the field for the Three Lions who were pegged back by Uruguay at 1-1 after the full-time whistle.

£52m Arsenal star Noni Madueke was one of them but his night didn’t end as well as he had hoped. Just over 30 minutes into the game, Madueke was brought down near the Uruguay box and his match involvement ended then and there.

His injury looked more than just a knock at that moment and now it’s confirmed to be true. In their own words, DailyAFC updated on Noni Madueke’s injury saying: “Noni Madueke leaves Wembley with a brace on his left knee, after being forced off due to an injury in an international friendly for England tonight.”

Arsenal players to miss FA Cup tie against Southampton

With a knee brace on, Noni Madueke will have a race against time to prepare for the FA Cup quarter final tie against Southampton. Most likely, Mikel Arteta would play it safe with Madueke and rule him out of the St. Mary’s contest with a view to have him ready for important Champions League knockout matches ahead.

Hence, it can be taken for granted that Madueke will be ruled out of the FA Cup tie. But he isn’t alone in that list. There are two more Arsenal players who won’t be making the trip to Southampton in seven days time.

Eberechi Eze

Noni Madueke’s England teammate Eberechi Eze is another Arsenal player nursing a long-term injury. The 27-year-old playmaker was said to be sidelined for over a month due to a calf complaint picked up in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League rout of Bayer Leverkusen.

Not having to face both of Madueke and Eze will please Southampton fullbacks on either flanks. But there is another positive boost for Tonda Eckert’s men in the middle of the park.

Mikel Merino

The Spaniard is arguably the most versatile player in Arteta’s Arsenal setup. Merino can defend, play line-breaking through passes for attackers, has a sharp vision in midfield and nobody can underestimate his finishing.

With Merino, Arsenal could have rested Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi, or both in a new look midfield. Or even play him as a false nine to rest Viktor Gyokeres from the FA Cup.

Southampton and especially, boss Tonda Eckert are saved from the uncertainty of planning tactical tweaks for the Arsenal tie only to realise Mikel Arteta has flipped the plan. No Merino means the Saints can better predict Arsenal’s approach.

Accordingly, Southampton can either go for an early lead themselves or frustrate the Gunners by taking the tie deep into extra time and penalties.