Arsenal: Mikel Arteta confirms Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori injury updates after double blow | OneFootball

A double blow against Mansfield as two players forced off

Blow: Leandro Trossard forced off in first half

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Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori will both be assessed after being forced off in Arsenal's win over Mansfield.

Mikel Arteta started with an unusual back-three shape but reverted to more familiar ground when Trossard went down late in the first half.

He had to be replaced, with Piero Hincapie coming on in his place, and Riccardo Calafiori shifted over to left-back.

However, the Italian then picked up an issue of his own in the second half and was unable to continue, with Arteta suggesting the bobbly, uneven surface had a role to play in those injury scares.

"Both of them had little niggles, they weren't comfortable continuing," Arteta said.

"We knew this could be a possibility, especially in the conditions we were playing in today. We had to take them off."

Riccardo Calafiori

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Arteta made nine changes against Mansfield, rotating heavily ahead of Arsenal's trip to take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Gabriel were all left out of the squad completely, while Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber only came on late in the second-half.

Asked if those who had not travelled were being rested or had injury issues as well, Arteta replied: "They had issues and they've been carrying issues.

"The amount of games we've been playing it's obviously super demanding. This was the only time to try to make sure we can clean those issues they've been having to start the next sequence of two weeks before the break to make sure they are in the best possible way.

"We had to make those decisions."