ARSENAL HANDED QUADRUPLE SUSPENSION BOOST FOR PSG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLASH AS UEFA RULES EXPLAIN

Referee Francois Letexier shows a yellow card to David Raya of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg with Real Madrid (Image: (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images))

Arsenal will be without one player due to suspension for the Champions League semi-final first leg with Paris Saint-Germain

Arsenal may have a number of players doubtful for the Champions League semi-final clash with PSG due to injury, but they can be thankful that UEFA rules mean they do not have players walking a suspension tightrope.

The Gunners will definitely be without six players, with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori ruled out through injury and Thomas Partey suspended for the first leg clash at the Emirates Stadium.

And there are also doubts over the fitness of the likes of Mikel Merino and Ben White, both of whom were spotted in training at London Colney yesterday, while Jorginho has been absent from the last three matchday squads too.

But while there was confusion over Thomas Partey's suspension for the clash, the Gunners may well be grateful for UEFA rules stopping as many as four other players from walking a suspension tightrope.

Partey picked up his third yellow card in the competition late on in the second leg of the quarter-final win over Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Under UEFA rules, Article 52.04 states : "All yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals."

That led to many thinking Partey would escape a ban, but because he picked up the third yellow before the conclusion of the quarter-final, it is not wiped out and he will therefore miss the first leg against PSG on Tuesday night.

That same rule, however, stops four Arsenal players from walking a tightrope to potentially miss the second leg of the semi-final and even the final, should they get there.

Declan Rice was on two yellow cards heading into the second leg against Los Blancos and managed to avoid a third, getting visibly frustrated with Partey after his needless booking for a coming together with Dani Ceballos late on.

Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber were also walking tightropes in the quarter-final second leg, but came through unscathed. Goalkeeper David Raya did pick up a second booking for the tournament against Madrid in the second leg, but that was wiped out after the final whistle.

Then only way any Arsenal player will miss the second leg or the final now would be through injury or through a red card in either of the matches with PSG.

Arsenal face PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on April 29 and fans can watch it free with an Amazon Prime subscription or by signing up for a 30-day free trial.

- Lee Wilmot

ARSENAL CONFIRM KAI HAVERTZ'S DEVASTATING HAMSTRING INJURY AND REVEAL HOW LONG HE IS EXPECTED TO BE OUT

•  Arsenal have confirmed that Kai Havertz will need surgery on his hamstring  

• The German international suffered a hamstring injury during their trip to Dubai 

• LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Will Liverpool recover from Everton blow in season-defining week? 

Arsenal have confirmed that Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring injury while training in Dubai - and the prognosis for his time on the sidelines is a major blow.  

Mail Sport exclusively revealed on Tuesday night that the Arsenal star had suffered the worrying hamstring injury scare while on club’s training tripin the United Arab Emirates. 

Well-placed sources indicated that the injury will result in Havertz spending a lengthy period on the sidelines.

Now the club have confirmed that Havertz will have surgery in the coming days befoe undergoing a recovery and rehabilitation programme which will extend into pre-season.

'Everyone at the club is fully focused on supporting Kai to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible,' the club said in a statement on its website.  

The news arrives as a crushing blow to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is already without several attacking players with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all missing through injury.

Havertz is the club’s top scorer this season with 15 goals and his absence will hit their ambitions of overhauling Liverpool at the top of the table this season.

Arsenal were criticised for not adding an attacker to their ranks during the January window and the injury to Havertz will only serve to intensify the backlash.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have explored the option of Takehiro Tomiyasu undergoing surgery to cure his long-standing knee problem.

The Japan defender has played just six minutes of football this season, coming on as a late substitute in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton in October following a three month recovery from a knee injury that saw him miss the start of the season.

But he has not featured since that win over the Saints after suffering an injury setback.

Indeed, Mail Sport understands there is emerging concern for Tomiyasu’s long-term fitness with club medics believed to have given serious consideration to the option of an operation for their versatile defender.

It is unclear whether a final decision on surgery has been made - but it has been an option discussed at the club’s London Colney HQ.

A new operation would require a lengthy rehabilitation programme and likely rule Tomiyasu out for a significant period of time.

In 2023, Tomiyasu underwent his first knee operation which kept the 26-year-old out of action for three months.

With that in mind, a second procedure on the joint would arrive as a blow to Tomiyasu, whose time at Arsenal has been beset by injury issues.

Speaking last month head coach Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Tomiyasu’s fitness saying: ‘Tomi has done some stuff on the pitch, but now because it’s been a long-term injury, we need to see how quickly he can progress and how he reacts.’

But there is now some pessimism regarding Tomiyasu’s fitness amplified by the discussions over a potential operation.

The imminent return to fitness of Ben White will help to soften the blow of Tomiyasu’s ongoing unavailability.

White, who himself underwent knee surgery in November, is set to return and could be named in the squad to face Leicester this weekend.

- LUKE POWER and SAMI MOKBEL