Arne Slot is reading the newspapers and is probably smiling. Liverpool coach is preparing for his first Merseyside derby tonight but he is keeping one eye fixed on the the title race competition. And they are falling apart. Manchester City were second fiddle against Real Madrid in the Champions League and are in all sorts of problems as Pep Guardiola clearly cannot steady the ship (yet). Nottingham Forest are certainly revelation of the year in the Premier League but uncapable of mounting a serious title challenge. And the only serious candidate just received a big blow today. Mikel Arteta found out that his false nine Kai Havertz will miss the rest of the season with an injury.Who did Arsenal bring and why no one?Already six points behind the Reds (who will increase it to nine if they beat Everton tonight), Arsenal are out of both Cups (FA and Carabao) and are dealing with injuries to key players in attack. Arteta is without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli and today he was left without Havertz. The German international is the club’s top scorer this season with 15 goals but he will not help his teammates this season. The Athletic and Daily Mail revealed that Havertz has suffered a ‘significant’ hamstring injury. It happened on a training trip to Dubai, where the Gunners worked and rested this week.Who is the “Horse” in Gunners’ squad?What does this now mean for Mikel Arteta? He is left with Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, and Raheem Sterling—all primarily wingers. It is expected that the Belgian international will take on the role of the central forward, a position he has played earlier in his career, as there are currently no other viable options. Arsenal actively searched for an attacking reinforcement during the January transfer window and spent a long time negotiating for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, but no agreement was reached. In the end, the Gunners didn‘t bought nobody, yet alone a striker and this decision may come back to haunt them very soon.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – PLAYOFFSTuesday Brest – PSG 0-3 (0-2)/Vitinha 21(p), Dembele 45,66/Juventus – PSV 2-1 (1-0)/McKennie 34, Mbangula 82 – Perisic 56/Man.City – Real Madrid 2-2 (1-0)/Haaland 19, 80 – Mbappe 60, Diaz 86/Sporting – Dortmund 0-3 (0-0)/Guirassy 60, Gross 68, Adeyemi 82/Wednesday20.45: (3.60) Club Brugge (3.40) Atalanta (2.10)23.00: (7.75) Celtic (4.80) Bayern (1.40)23.00: (2.95) Feyenoord (3.45) Milan (2.35)23.00: (2.35) Monaco (3.45) Benfica (2.95)***odds are subject to change***
