Mikel Arteta confirms 2 Arsenal stars are set to miss Carabao Cup Q/F clash against Crystal Palace

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori will miss the Gunners' Carabao Cup quarter-final fixture against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, December 18. Apart from the two, English midfielder Declan Rice is also a doubt for the quarter-final clash.

Former Manchester City defender Zinchenko has made only nine appearances across all competitions for the Gunners this season. He initially missed a few games due to a calf injury and the Ukrainian defender is currently out because of a muscle issue. Zinchenko last featured for the north London outfit during their 2-0 victory over Manchester United on December 4.

Meanwhile, Calafiori, who joined Arsenal earlier this year for a reported £42 million, has also missed multiple matches this season due to knee and calf injuries. The Italian full-back has made 13 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal.

Talking about the duo's status, Mikel Arteta said (via @afcstuff on X):

"Not much! Declan [Rice] is fine, we'll make the decision whether he's available or not. Alex [Zinchenko] and Richy [Calafiori] will be out of the squad for tomorrow."

Declan Rice also picked up a knock during the Gunners' goalless draw against Sean Dyche's Everton at the weekend. However, he can potentially return to Mikel Arteta's line-up ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday. The return dates of Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still unknown.

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Arsenal shortlists Ligue 1 forward as Gabriel Jesus' replacement: Reports

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani in the upcoming transfer window, as per Graeme Bailey on TBR Football. The Frenchman joined PSG from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported €80 million in September 2023.

Since joining the Ligue 1 giants, he has made 54 appearances across all competitions, bagging 11 goals and seven assists. Failing to fulfill the expectations at Les Parisians, the 26-year-old has only three goal contributions (2G, 1A) for Luis Enrique's side this season.

Due to his recent performance, the Frenchman has started only two matches in Ligue 1. However, he has still managed to gain the attention of the Gunners, who see him as Gabriel Jesus' replacement. The north London club haven't scored an open-play goal since November, as all their strikes have come through set pieces.

The Brazilian attacker has made 20 appearances for Arsenal this season, scoring only one goal and providing two assists. Kai Havertz has scored only one goal in the last eight Premier League matches. Due to an inconsistent frontline, the Gunners are keen to recruit new attackers in January.