Arsenal assistant manager Steve Bould revealed in Thursday’s press conference that striker Alexandre Lacazette was a doubt to face Stoke City on Sunday, but Jack Wilshere could feature despite his knee injury that ruled him out of playing for England, reports the Express.
Bould stepped in for Wenger at the press conference as the Gunners manager had lost his voice and was asked if Lacazette had a chance of being involved against Stoke on Sunday. He replied: “I don’t know. He’s trained, he trained yesterday but whether he will be involved at the weekend I’m unsure.”
Lacazette has made just one Premier League appearance since January and he may be too short for the visit of Stoke this weekend too. That means Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should lead the line against the struggling Potters.
Arsenal could have all four midfielders available with Wilshere pronounced fit to face City. Bould added: “Jack trained yesterday, so he’s okay. Everybody else has come back and we’ll find out a bit more this morning.”
Arsenal come into their meeting with Stoke off the back of three consecutive wins in all competitions, so they’ll be hopeful of dispatching of the relegation-threatened outfit at the Emirates Stadium.
Lacazette’s season goes from bad to worse, having scored just one goal in his last 11 Premier League appearances. The 26-year-old’s form has led to Aubameyang replacing him as the first-choice striker, so not having him in the squad against Stoke wouldn’t even be a blow.
He’ll also be a doubt for Arsenal’s Europa League quarter-final clash with CSKA Moscow on Thursday, April 5.