Takehiro Tomiyasu could be set to miss a number of games for Arsenal in 2024, with Japan preparing to play in the AFC Asian Cup.

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Arsenal’s Japanese defender #18 Takehiro Tomiyasu passes the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group B first leg football match between RC Lens and Arsenal FC at the Bollaert Stadium in Lens, northern France, on October 3, 2023. (Photo by SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan are one of the in-form teams in international football at the moment, and they’ll be hoping to carry that momentum into November’s World Cup qualifiers before playing in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in January and February.

The competition was initially meant to be held in 2023, but high temperatures in Qatar delayed the tournament to winter 2024. As a result, the cup will clash with club football in Europe.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has proven himself as an increasingly important member of the Japanese side, and he’ll surely receive a call-up when the squads are eventually announced.

But Tomiyasu is also becoming a very important member of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad, and he’s now set to miss some games for the Gunners.

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WOLFSBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 09: Takehiro Tomiyasu of Japan lines up during the international friendly match between Germany and Japan at Volkswagen Arena on September 09, 2023 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY: Takehiro Tomiyasu of Japan lines up during the international friendly match between Germany and Japan at Volkswagen Arena on September 09, 2023. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

At this stage, there are two major factors affecting how many games Tomiyasu will miss: Japan’s performances in the Asian Cup itself, and Arsenal’s performances outside of the Premier League.

If Japan are eliminated at the earliest possible opportunity, and if Arsenal get knocked out of the League Cup early as well, Tomiyasu might only miss one game – the match against Crystal Palace on January 13th.

But if Japan get all the way to the final, and if Arsenal progress to the League Cup semi-final and the FA Cup fourth round, Tomiyasu would miss at least six games.

The defender could miss even more than that. Arsenal’s potential League Cup semi-final first leg would be days before the Asian Cup, and the earliest dates for a possible first Champions League knockout match (13th/14th February) are just days after the Asian Cup final.

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY: Hiroki Ito and Takehiro Tomiyasu of Japan celebrate victory after the international friendly match between Germany and Japan at Volkswagen Arena on September 09, 2023. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
WOLFSBURG, GERMANY: Hiroki Ito and Takehiro Tomiyasu of Japan celebrate victory after the international friendly match between Germany and Japan at Volkswagen Arena on September 09, 2023. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

It’s worth mentioning that the Champions League Round-of-16 first-leg match could also be on the 20th/21st February, in which case they wouldn’t clash with the Asian Cup.

But in the worst possible scenario, where Arsenal are still in every competition and get an early Champions League date, Japan make the cup final, and Tomiyasu leaves and returns a few days before and after the tournament, he could miss eight matches.

It’s fairly likely Japan at least progress out of the group stage, given two teams from each four-team group progress, as well as four of the six third-place finishers. But there are clearly a lot of permutations right now.

Arsenal’s schedule around the AFC Asian Cup

  • January 9/10th – League Cup semi-final first leg
  • January 12th – AFC Asian Cup kicks off
  • January 13th – Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
  • January 23rd/24th – League Cup semi-final second leg
  • January 24th – Japan’s group stage ends
  • January 27th/28th – FA Cup fourth round
  • January 30th – Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
  • February 3rd – Arsenal vs Liverpool
  • February 10th – West Ham United vs Arsenal
  • February 10th – AFC Asian Cup final
  • February 13th/14th – Champions League knockout stages begin
  • February 17th – Burnley vs Arsenal
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