Chelsea striker ruled out of Arsenal match through injury | OneFootball

Nicolas Jackson has been ruled out of Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal next month through injury, with Enzo Maresca confirming the striker is out until April.

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Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has suffered a hamstring injury, and though his club were initially hopeful that he’d avoided a major setback, subsequent scans have confirmed that the forward will need some time out of action.

“He’s not gonna be available until the end of the international break,” Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirmed on Thursday, ruling Jackson out until the game against Tottenham Hotspur on April 2nd.

Chelsea travel to Arsenal in their game before that, on March 16th, so Jackson will be unavailable for the match at the Emirates Stadium.

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On that front, both clubs will come into the game without their first-choice strikers. Former Chelsea player Kai Havertz is reportedly out for the season, so he certainly won’t be available for the match against his old club.

Having said that, the upside for both teams is that they have a while to adapt before that London derby. The game is still over a month away, and there are plenty of fixtures to come during that period.

Mikel Arteta and Maresca will hope that they’ve figured out how to play without their first-choice forwards by March 16th.

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Arsenal will have an additional hurdle to overcome on the day, with Raheem Sterling ineligible to play against his parent club.

The current assumption is that Sterling, Leandro Trossard, and Ethan Nwaneri will make up Arsenal’s front three for the coming games, with Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli all out injured.

But against Chelsea, Arsenal will have to hope that Martinelli is fit in time to replace Sterling.