Arsenal boss Unai Emery will reportedly be sweating over the fitness of Laurent Koscielny and Sead Kolasinac ahead of facing Tottenham.
The Gunners take on their rivals in the North London Derby on Saturday, and warmed up for the clash with a convincing 5-1 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday night.
SEE MORE: Arsenal solution to replace stalwart touted in case of limited £40m transfer budget
Not only would that have been a major confidence boost for Emery and his players, but it also kept them in fourth place in the Premier League table in the battle for Champions League qualification.
Further, coupled with Tottenham’s loss at Chelsea, a win for Arsenal this weekend would move them to within just a point of their rivals.
In turn, it’s a hugely important encounter for both sides, but Emery will potentially have to deal with some unwanted injury concerns which soured the midweek win.
As noted in freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweets below, both Koscielny and Kolasinac are struggling with issues, although it doesn’t sound particularly serious at this stage.
With that in mind, the defensive duo will be expected to be available on Saturday, but Emery will face an anxious wait on scans in the coming days to ensure that they haven’t picked up something more serious.
Further, it also remains to be seen if it affects their ability to train in the next two days, as the Spanish tactician won’t want to risk them being ruled out for a lengthy period by rushing them into action if they haven’t fully recovered.
In turn, although it sounds as though it’s about managing their respective setbacks, Emery could yet be forced into a defensive reshuffle this weekend, which is the last thing that he needs for such a fundamental encounter.
Unai Emery confirms Laurent Koscielny got a kick and is feeling a "little pain" but he doesn't think it's anything serious. #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) February 27, 2019
Kolasinac is managing a muscular problem. Complained of pain at half-time, the reason why Emery decided to replace him after 57 minutes. #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) February 27, 2019
