Arsenal’s opening day Premier League clash against Brentford was almost called off with a Covid scare due to the triple illness blow ahead of the game.

The Daily Mail report that every member of the Arsenal squad and staff had to take Covid tests hours before the trip to Brentford last Friday, after a scare brought the game close to cancellation.

Obviously, players are regularly tested anyway, twice a week, but this was an additional round of testing to ensure the game could go ahead. The concern was raised due to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson all going down with illness before the match.

The Mirror report the same story, adding that it’s not yet clear whether or not Aubameyang and Lacazette will be available for the next match against Chelsea.

Football.London previously reported that Aubameyang and Lacazette were both doubts for the Chelsea clash, and that Folarin Balogun could instead get another chance to start. Eddie Nketiah is certainly still out for the fixture with his injury.

With Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes also missing through injury, it’s not exactly an ideal start to the campaign.