Opponent Watch: Arsenal confirm 24-year-old will miss Liverpool clash in April

Arsenal confirm Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss Liverpool clash with knee injury

Arsenal’s official website has confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, which automatically rules him out for the Premier League clash against Liverpool on 9 April.

The Reds can be kingmakers this season. That’s not a position we wanted to be in, given our obvious title ambitions at the start of the season, but it will still add some excitement to a drab season for us.

We face Manchester City at the Etihad on 1 April before taking on Arsenal at Anfield eight days later. The Gunners lead Man City by eight points after 28 games, although the Cityzens have a game in hand.

The results of these two games could be decisive in the bigger picture. That is why Tomiyasu’s absence will be a major blow for manager Mikel Arteta.

Boost for Liverpool?

William Saliba was also injured for the Gunners in their second leg UEFA Europa League last-16 clash against Sporting CP last Thursday, in which they lost 5-3 on penalties. Given the two defenders’ injuries, Arteta could now have an anxious few weeks ahead after the international break.

Tomiyasu can play anywhere across the defensive line and could have acted as a cover if any of Arteta’s first-choice players were injured. Now he won’t have that safety net.

Ben White is the Spanish tactician’s first-choice option down that flank. On paper, both Tomyasu and White are similar kinds of right backs, who have a larger focus on the defensive side of things.

Hence, it’s not a huge blow for the Gunners unless another one of their defenders get injured or suspended. They also have no other competition apart from the Premier League to focus on this season.

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Liverpool can expect Arteta to field a full strength Arsenal side against us. It remains to be seen if Saliba will return to first-team action by then.