More worries for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal ahead of Liverpool clash

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is currently in a precarious state due to the absence of the London club’s regular players. 

Arsenal is in a precarious state due to the absence of several key players. They showed that they wouldn’t survive the next couple of weeks without players like injured Bukayo Saka, Martin Ordegaard, Jurrien Timber, Ricardo Calafiori, and recently William Saliba, who was sent off last Saturday against Bournemouth. Last week, SIXSPORTS wrote about the impact of Saka’s absence against Bournemouth and how the Gunners will survive the coming weeks. Not knowing that the effect will be so quick for the London club.

While speaking about the club’s current injury threat, Coach Mikel Arteta said it isn’t certain that Saka and Odegaard will resume fitness soon. 

Arsenal has a tougher test, which is against Liverpool, compared to their last two games, Bournemouth and Shakhtar Donetsk, where they lost and struggled to win, respectively. 

“We’re going to do our very best to somehow have them available. But it’s very, very uncertain,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Talking about Calafiori, who appeared to suffer an injury in the midweek Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, he said: “He needs some more tests. Yesterday he had some, today he’s going to have some more. After that, we will know.

“Last time we thought it was really bad and then he ended up playing two days later. So let’s see.”

Arsenal felt the absence of Bukayo Saka last Saturday when they lost to Bournemouth. Saka’s availability for Sunday’s clash with Liverpool is in doubt. They also struggle against Shakhtar. Arteta said the England international player has been training, but his availability for Sunday’s clash looks uncertain. 

“He’s done a bit of training on the grass. How far we can get him before Sunday is another question.

“We have another day which is a good thing, because this week had an extra day. We will see.”

On the other hand, Netherland’s defender Timber, who was involved in Arsenal’s first six Premier League matches but has subsequently been on the sidelines with a muscular injury, is also a doubt to play, according to Arteta.

“It is the first session that he (Timber) could have some involvement,” he added. “We expected him to be further back (in his rehab). Again we will have to see.”