“He’s got a big cut” - Arteta shares update on whether Kai Havertz will be ready for Chelsea vs Arsenal after getting stitches in Inter defeat
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Kai Havertz after his injury against Inter Milan on Wednesday, November 6. The German came off in stoppage time after a head collision with defender Yann Bisseck.
The Gunners faced a much-rotated Inter Milan side at San Siro in the UEFA Champions League league stage on Wednesday. They created plenty of chances but failed to capitalize on them. Mikel Merino was then deemed to have handled the ball in the first-half stoppage time and Hakan Calhanoglu scored from the spot to seal a 1-0 win for the hosts.
Arsenal pushed for an equalizer but failed to avoid their first defeat in the Champions League this season. Another blow for the visitors was that Havertz came off injured in the stoppage time after a clash of heads with Yann Bisseck. The German's head was bleeding as he came off. Providing an update on his injury, manager Mikel Arteta said (via Metro):
"Regarding Kai, yeah, he’s got a big cut. He needed to come off because he needed some stitches, but hopefully he’s going to be okay for the weekend."
Arsenal are set to face London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, November 10. They will hope the former Blues star Havertz is available for the clash.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident ahead of Chelsea clash despite Inter defeat
The Gunners have won just two of their last six games across competitions, with three defeats and one draw. They have now lost their last two games - a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League and 1-0 at Inter Milan in the Champions League.
However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is optimistic ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Sunday. While he admitted that they were disappointed with the result against the Nerazzurri, he was quite pleased with his side's performance. He said (via Metro):
"If we play the way we play, we‘ll have a big chance to win against Chelsea. That‘s the way we have to go. I told them that I’m proud of them.
"I haven‘t seen them play in Europe in the manner that we have today. We are disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game, that’s for sure."
Arsenal had 63% possession and 20 attempts on goal against Inter Milan, with four being on target. The hosts, meanwhile, had seven attempts with one being on target.