Mikel Arteta solid important doubt over the supply of Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber for Arsenal‘s crunch match in opposition to Liverpool after revealing the injured trio are “very unsure” to play.
Saka has missed the Gunners’ final two matches with the hamstring harm he sustained on worldwide obligation with England, whereas Timber has been absent for 3 video games with a muscular drawback.
Calafiori added to Arteta’s woes when he suffered a knee harm in Arsenal‘s 1-0 Champions League win in opposition to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Captain Martin Odegaard stays out with an ankle drawback and William Saliba might be suspended for the go to of Arne Slot‘s aspect after he was despatched off in opposition to Bournemouth.
“We’re going to do our best possible to in some way have [Saka, Calafiori and Timber] out there, but it surely’s very, very unsure,” mentioned Arteta, 48 hours out from his aspect’s fixture in opposition to the table-topping Reds.
“Saka’s finished a bit of coaching on the grass. How far we are able to get him earlier than Sunday is one other query. We now have one other day, which is an effective factor.
“Calafiori wants extra checks. Yesterday he had some, and at the moment he’s going to have some extra. After that we’ll know. Final time we thought it was actually dangerous after which he ended up taking part in two days later. So let’s see.
“And for Timber, this was the primary session that he may have some involvement. He’s been out for some time. We anticipated him to be additional alongside than he’s in the intervening time, so once more we should see.
“In quite a lot of instances it has been very dangerous luck. We now have sure troublesome knee accidents, sure traumatic accidents, three accidents with the nationwide crew. It’s troublesome to regulate.
“It could actually occur, but it surely’s about how we react to that. We’re not going to alter it. We don’t really feel sorry for ourselves.”
Arsenal‘s shock 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth final weekend sees them path Liverpool by 4 factors forward of Sunday’s fixture on the Emirates.
Slot has loved a formidable begin to his tenure since he changed Jurgen Klopp. Following their 1-0 win in opposition to RB Leipzig on Wednesday, they turned the primary Liverpool aspect to win their opening six away video games of a season and the primary to triumph in 11 of their first 12 matches.
A defeat for Arteta’s males would see them fall seven factors behind the Reds, and probably out of the title race. However the defiant Spaniard added: “I by no means take into consideration: ‘What if we lose it?’. All the things that we do is to win.
“In my preparation I don’t spend one second pondering, ‘if we lose it’. It’s about ‘if we win it’, how satisfied we’re that we’re going to win it and the way we’re going to really feel afterwards.
“After we received in opposition to Aston Villa [in August] everyone was already saying ‘if you happen to lose this recreation, second recreation of the season, what’s subsequent?’. We can’t suppose like this as a result of we’re solely in October.”
