Arsenal have been warned that Ben White may be unavailable until at least the middle of January after fresh testing of his injury. BBC Sport reports Arsenal “fear” White’s absence will be for a “minimum of a month” while he recovers from the setback. That best case timeline would see the 28-year-old miss seven or eight matches across three competitions; the absence could stretch longer.

The schedule through mid-January presents a congested spell. Arsenal face Everton in the Premier League on Dec. 20 before a Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Crystal Palace on Dec. 23. League fixtures follow against Brighton on Dec. 27 and Aston Villa on Dec. 30. After the turn of the year Arsenal play Bournemouth (Jan. 3), Liverpool (Jan. 8), then travel to Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round on Jan. 11, and host Nottingham Forest on Jan. 17.

Those fixtures mean a player missing a month could be absent for important matches in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. The club had seen improving cover in defence recently. William Saliba returned to the team after injury against Wolves, allowing Piero Hincapié to move to the left as Riccardo Calafiori served a suspension. Jurriën Timber had been required to cover absences in the centre of defence, and White, after being an unused substitute for much of the season, had begun to start games.

When White left the pitch, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the only defender on the bench, was the chosen replacement. That selection underlines the limits of available options on a given matchday and explains why the reported recovery timeline will be followed closely at the club. Arsenal will continue to monitor White’s progress as they plan for the busy fixture list that runs through mid-January.

The quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup present a clear pathway to Wembley and a chance for silverware for the leading contenders. Three heavyweights stand out as favourites, while Premier League challengers and a League One side aim to upset the balance.

Cardiff City have a reputation for overperforming in this competition. The Welsh side, who were in the Championship when they reached the 2011–12 final via a favourable run of fixtures, pushed Liverpool to penalties in the showpiece before suffering heartbreak. Now fighting to escape League One, the Carabao Cup has not been a distraction; Swindon Town, Cheltenham, Burnley and Wrexham have all been discarded en route to the last eight. Their reward is a visit from Chelsea.

Chelsea have made life difficult for themselves in cup ties away to Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Enzo Maresca should name a fairly strong team for the trip to Wales. If the Italian selects even a handful of regular starters, they should conquer Cardiff with little fuss. The Bluebirds will be keen to see a much-changed Chelsea teamsheet on Tuesday, offering hope of a surprise result, but a convincing defeat is the most likely outcome. Prediction: Cardiff 1–3 Chelsea.

Manchester City arrive brimming with confidence and represent a stern test for Brentford. Pep Guardiola’s men have claimed victory in five successive matches and, after their 2–1 win over Real Madrid, they breezed past Crystal Palace on the road last weekend. City have won the trophy four times under Guardiola and dominated the competition between 2018 and 2021, though they have not progressed beyond the last eight since. Brentford possess attacking options in Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara, but an alarming away record in the league — seven defeats from eight — undermines their hopes. Prediction: Man City 3–0 Brentford.

Newcastle, who lifted the trophy last season, face Fulham. Eddie Howe’s side beat Fulham 2–1 at St James’ Park this term with Bruno Guimarães’s last-gasp strike in October. Fulham, inspired by Harry Wilson at times, can threaten, but Newcastle should prevail at home. Prediction: Newcastle 2–1 Fulham.

Arsenal host Crystal Palace a week later because Palace are in the Europa Conference League. Palace have enjoyed two days out at Wembley in the past seven months, conquering Man City in the FA Cup final and beating Liverpool in the Community Shield. Arsenal beat Palace 1–0 on home soil earlier this season and, despite Palace’s capacity to defy the odds, the Gunners should reach the semis. Prediction: Arsenal 2–0 Crystal Palace.

William Saliba has been candid about the uncertainty that marked his early years at Arsenal and how those experiences shaped the player he is today. Arriving as a 19-year-old, Saliba did not immediately break into Mikel Arteta’s plans and spent time with the U23s before a sequence of loans that took him back to France.

“It was a bit hard because I arrived from France, then went back on loan, then six months after I came back here, I went back to France again,” Saliba recalled in an interview with Arsenal’s official website.

“Six months there, then I changed club, then I came back here. So it was difficult. I was living in a hotel when I came here at first, then I found a house but went back to France, so when I came back after that I wanted to settle down quickly.”

Those repeated moves left Saliba questioning his future at the club. “I had some doubts because when you go on loan two or three times, you think maybe it’s not here that I will play,” he candidly admitted. “But it’s like this, in football you have some doubts sometimes, but you have to make sure you forget your doubts and you move forward, and that’s what I did.

“So I went on loan, I kept going to improve. Then I came back here stronger. When I came back I played almost every game. When you have a new career, you have to adapt because you will have some moments where things won’t go how you want. So you have to adapt and of course you have to be strong mentally to be prepared for anything.”

Arteta handed him a starting role at the beginning of the 2022–23 season and Saliba kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win at Crystal Palace. Since his Premier League debut, made 1,107 days after signing for Arsenal, his rise has been marked by consistent selection and recognition; he won Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year during his loan period and is widely considered one of the best in his position.

Talk of outside interest surfaced as his initial contract neared its end, but Saliba committed his future to the club with a long-term extension in September. “Everything was complete for me,” Saliba shrugged. “We have a good team, we have a good coach, we have good staff. And I’m sure that the future here will be very good, so there was no hesitation to extend my contract with Arsenal.