Arsenal suffer triple injury setback as Mikel Arteta reflects on devastating cup exit
· Yahoo Sports
Arsenal's evening deteriorated further when Mikel Arteta revealed that three of his players are uncertain for Sunday's match against Liverpool. Riccardo Calafiori, Noni Madueke, and Declan Rice were absent from Tuesday's stunning Carabao Cup loss to Fleetwood Town due to injury.
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The Gunners were eliminated by the League Two club on penalties, despite Arteta selecting a robust starting XI because of Arsenal's mounting injury concerns. William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis are sidelined long-term, while Max Dowman will miss the weekend fixture following his reckless red card against Fleetwood.
Following the match, Arteta explained why Calafiori, Madueke and Rice remained in London rather than making the journey to Lancashire for the cup encounter. "Calafiori was out, Noni was out with an ankle, and Declan was feeling a problem the other day (against Everton), which is why I had to substitute him," the Arsenal boss said, as per The Mirror.
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Arteta will be eager to welcome back some, if not all, of the trio for their journey to Liverpool, with Rice notably participating in training with his teammates on Monday. Following Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton, Arsenal sit level on points with Manchester City atop the Premier League standings and aim to extend their winning streak.
But their aspirations of capturing the Carabao Cup for the first time in 34 years have already been extinguished before reaching the quarter-final round.
Arteta characterized it as a 'very sad day' following the defeat to Fleetwood, whom he commended for executing what may be the most stunning upset in the tournament's history.
"First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood," the Gunners boss said. "In the manner they did it, the atmosphere they created. I have nothing to fault the players for their attitude and intensity throughout the game, with 11 and with 10, but when you are playing in that superior way, you have to give nothing to the opponent.
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"When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four, or five. You capitalize on it. If you don't, there are no margins, and that's the reality. Then you have to wait and get through the round on penalties, and we didn't do that.
"The probability was low with the way the game was panning out, but it's football and still with low probability, there is always a chance you could be out of the cup."
Following their game against Liverpool at Anfield, Arsenal continue their UEFA Champions League schedule with a trip to Slavia Prague. The Gunners then host Hull City before the November international break.