Aston Villa, Wolves & Spurs' upcoming opponents dealt major blow ahead of Premier League games

A major injury concern for Arsenal is set to have an impact on their upcoming Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Wolves, with striker Gabriel Jesus feared to have suffered a serious knee injury.

Sky Sports have reported that the Brazilian forward sustained a suspect anterior cruciate ligament injury during the Gunners’ FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. Jesus was withdrawn towards the end of the first half after picking up the injury and was replaced by Raheem Sterling.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the club will send the 27-year-old to a specialist in order to determine the full extent of the injury, but it looks very unlikely that he will miss a number of matches as a result. If the ACL injury is confirmed, Jesus would likely miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

Even if the news is better than anticipated, Jesus, who has scored 26 goals in 96 games for Arsenal since signing from Manchester City in 2022, will almost certainly be unavailable for two imminent top-flight matches against Midlands clubs.

Which games will Gabriel Jesus miss?

Arsenal will contest the North London Derby against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening but then play Aston Villa at the Emirates this weekend, with Unai Emery’s side travelling to the capital to play Saturday evening’s televised game.

A week later, on 25 January, the Gunners travel up to the Midlands to play Wolves at Molineux in a 3pm kick-off, and it is now expected that Gabriel Jesus will not be able to play a part in either game, with Arteta telling the media that the injury “is not looking good at all” and that he is “very worried” pending the results of a full medical review of the injury.

It represents a further blow for second-placed Arsenal, who are also expected to go into the games against Villa and Wolves without key players Bukayo Saka and Ben White, among others.

How will the injury impact Arsenal?

Young winger Ethan Nwaneri, who impressed when deputising for Saka in recent weeks, is also expected to be absent for both matches due to a muscular injury, as Arsenal’s attacking options continue to thin out.

That could be good news for Unai Emery and Vitor Pereira’s sides. Villa have conceded 32 goals this season, more than any other side in the top half, while Wolves have the worst defence in the division at present having conceded 45 times since the start of the current league campaign.

Wolves may be especially glad not to face Jesus – in his 11 Premier League appearances against the club for both Manchester City and Arsenal, he has scored six times and contributed two assists.

Arsenal head coach Arteta has, however, hinted that he may attempt to bring in some attacking reinforcements before the end of the January transfer window, telling the press that “we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad” and saying that the Gunners “would be naïve” not to look for new signings.