Arsenal could be without eight players for PSG clash as Mikel Arteta given headache

boss could be without a staggering set of nine players for today's semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain. In a familiar tale for the Spaniard, injuries are set to impact his selection decisions ahead of the home game against the Ligue 1 champions.

The Gunners have five players who are definitely unavailable, and a further four who are doubts. Express Sport provides an update on all nine players.

Thomas Partey

Partey was booked in the second leg of the quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, following . His yellow card was his third in the competition and that rules him out of the first leg against PSG.

Mikel Merino

Arteta was coy when discussing Merino's absence for last week's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. The midfielder - who has been used as a makeshift centre-forward to cover for injuries in recent weeks - missed the match through injury. There is no guarantee that he will feature against the French giants.

Ben White

White was also not involved in the matchday squad against Palace. The 27-year-old had his first half of the season disrupted by knee surgery. He has appeared only four times since returning to full training in February.

Arteta gave no assurances that Merino and White will be ready to play against PSG, adding after the Palace game: "We have to wait and see, but they were unable to be in the squad today."

Jorginho

A rib injury suffered against Brentford earlier this month has kept Jorginho out of Arsenal's last three matches. He remains a doubt for the PSG clash, but Arteta will be keen for the Italy international to be ready, especially given Partey's absence.

Arteta said of the midfielder last week: "I hope so, but I'm not certain. So we have to see how he evolves in the next few days, I would say a few weeks. So the doctor was quite cautious still about talking about any dates.

"So let's see. The good news is that he's improving, he's feeling much better. It was quite a scary situation and he's in a good place now."

Riccardo Calafiori

Injuries have punctuated Calafiori's first season at Arsenal and he is currently recovering from a knee issue. The Italian suffered his fourth separate problem during Italy's Nations League clash with Germany in March. There is a chance he could be fit to make the squad for the PSG game, having already returned to training.

Arteta said last week: "If everything goes well, I think [he'll be ready] - maybe a little bit earlier. Let's see. He is on the pitch already. He is doing quite a lot of stuff and we just need to make the right steps now to make sure when he is back, he is in a good place to perform."

Kai Havertz

Havertz was initially ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury during a training camp in Dubai earlier this year. However, Arteta has hinted that the German may make a surprise comeback over the next couple of weeks - although he will not play against PSG.

"Let's see. Every injury isn't the same," the Arsenal head coach said last week.

"So hopefully we can have him [before the end of the season], but let's wait. Once you get to the last stage of that rehab, you can understand better how close or far you are to make that next step."

Gabriel

Defender Gabriel has been ruled out for the rest of the season in a cruel blow. The Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury during Arsenal's 2-1 win against Fulham at the start of the month. He has had to undergo surgery and will not return until the summer.

His replacement, Jakub Kiwior, has performed superbly alongside William Saliba.

Gabriel Jesus

Back in January, Jesus suffered a serious knee injury, and he is not expected to return any time soon. The striker underwent surgery and his rehabilitation is likely to extend into next season.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Tomiyasu also underwent knee surgery in February. The defender's Arsenal career has been disrupted by a series of significant injuries. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season, having featured for only six minutes in a win over Southampton in October.