Arsenal risks losing nearly the entire squad in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.

Arsenal may be without as many as nine players for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on the early morning of March 12 (Vietnam time).

Many squad members are currently injured, forcing manager Mikel Arteta to make up to nine changes in the FA Cup fourth-round match against Mansfield Town. In that game, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori also had to leave early because they felt unfit to continue due to minor physical issues.

Meanwhile, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and Martin Zubimendi did not even travel with the team to Field Mill due to fitness problems. Additionally, Ben White, Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino and William Saliba were also unavailable.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Arteta commented on the condition of Calafiori and Trossard: “Both had minor issues and didn’t feel comfortable enough to continue. I anticipated this possibility, especially under today’s playing conditions, so we had to withdraw them.”

When asked about the status of Gabriel, Rice, and Zubimendi, the Spanish strategist stated: “They all have problems and have been playing under those conditions for some time. The congested schedule makes everything extremely tough.”

Arteta explained that the decision to rest the players aims to help them recover optimally before the crucial two-week period preceding the national team call-ups. The Arsenal manager is referring to the series of four matches before this month’s international break. After the away trip to Leverkusen on the early morning of March 12, Arsenal will host Everton before facing the German side again in North London next week.

The Gunners’ final match in March will be the EFL Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. However, it remains unclear whether Ødegaard, Saliba, or White will recover in time to feature in any of the upcoming matches.

Earlier in the pre-match press conference against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arteta confirmed: “Ben (White) is not ready to play.” When asked about Ødegaard, he added: “We need to see if he feels comfortable enough to perform certain movements.”

Regarding Saliba’s case, Arteta said the French defender suffered an ankle sprain in the match against Chelsea: “He tried to finish the game but later felt too much pain to continue.”

Meanwhile, Merino remains sidelined long-term. Arteta stated the doctors are pleased with the recovery progress but this injury requires considerable time: “It’s a bone healing process, so patience is needed. We’re talking about several months, possibly three, four, or five months; it’s not yet precisely determined.”