Weekend Briefing: Ins, outs & injury doubts for this week's matches

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal rocked ahead of Brighton trip

Arsenal's return to Premier League action could hardly have gone any worse with the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City compounded by two injuries and a red card.

David Luiz is suspended for the trip to Brighton on Saturday after his dismissal at the Etihad in a game where Pablo Mari and Granit Xhaka were substituted in the first half due to injuries.

Mesut Ozil's absence from the squad which flew up to Manchester and back again on the same day was tactical according to Arteta.

Sheffield United hoping for key men to return

Chris Wilder bemoaned the absence of two influential players in Wednesday's controversial 0-0 draw at Aston Villa as John Fleck and Jack O'Connell had to sit on the sidelines but at least one could return when Sheffield United head to Newcastle on Sunday.

"Fortunately, they are contact injuries and not soft tissue injuries," explained Wilder. "I believe Flecky will be back for Sunday, Jack we are just waiting on."

Daniel Ayala set to part ways with relegation-threatened Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough are only two points above the relegation zone in the Sky Bet Championship with nine matches remaining and they will have to continue their battle at the bottom without the services of defender Daniel Ayala.

The 29-year-old Spaniard, who has made 25 appearances for the club this term, has reportedly refused to play for Boro as his contract expires on June 30.

The player is believed to want to leave at the end of his contract rather than pen a short-term deal, and does not want to play again this term in case he aggravates an ankle problem from which he has recently recovered.

That means Jonathan Woodgate will be without the centre-back for the club's first match back against playoff-chasing Swansea City this Saturday.

Hull City and Charlton Athletic with depleted squads for six-pointer

Hull City and Charlton Athletic lock horns at the KC Stadium on Saturday with both clubs also impacted by expiring contracts.

The Tigers have managed to agree deals with a number of players including Kevin Stewart, Jon Toral, Daniel Batty and Robbie McKenzie but some key individuals slipped through the net.

Jackson Irvine, Eric Lichaj, Stephen Kingsley and Marcus Maddison all failed to reach agreements with City and will not feature again this season.

That would be good news for visitors Charlton if they had not been dealt a similar blow themselves. Star forward Lyle Taylor told Lee Bowyer he will not play the remainder of the season with the 30-year-old out of contract at the end of the month and not willing to risk injury as he eyes a move this summer.

Charlton's main marksman has scored 11 league goals this season, making up a quarter of their 44 goals scored in England's second division, and their chances of dropping into League One are surely amplified by his absence.

Real Sociedad will have to finish season without captain

Although he is Real Sociedad's official club captain, Asier Illarramendi has barely played a part in their pursuit of a top-four spot in La Liga this term.

The defensive midfielder has been limited to only three appearances this season, having been sidelined since August after requiring surgery to fix a fractured shin bone and ankle ligament damage.

The 30-year-old was continuing his recovery well during the recent break in the season but suffered a setback on Tuesday and the club confirmed he sustained a grade two adductor injury in training, likely ruling him out of a return this season.

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