Mikel Arteta gave mixed news on Arsenal’s injury situation ahead of the match against Brighton, providing updates on William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafioli.
Arsenal will be without William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli for the Carabao Cup match against Brighton, but Mikel Arteta could deliver more positive news regarding Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafioli.
Gunners boss Arteta was forced to substitute Saliba, Rice and Calafioli due to injury in the game against Crystal Palace, and Martinelli has also emerged as a cause for concern. Saliba and Cristian Mosquera were substituted at half-time of the match, but Rice was injured in the closing stages and required treatment.
Evaluation of Saliba and Martinelli is ongoing, but neither is expected to be suitable for the Seagulls. “(Saliba) is not available. We are evaluating him, but he will not play in this game,” Arteta said.
“It looks like (Martinelli) is likely to miss out. We need another test to confirm the extent of the injury, but this game will be too soon for him.”
Asked about Saka, Rice and Calafioli, who played through illness over the weekend, Arteta admitted the group was “fit” and “available”.
read more: Declan Rice called to Arsenal’s tense meeting after Bukayo Saka meetingread more: Injured Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz await crucial call from Mikel Arteta before returning
Arteta also opened up about Ben White’s condition after his recovery suffered. “He had some setbacks, but that didn’t help,” he said.
“He was out for a few weeks because of the injury and we had to manage his load. The reason he hasn’t played is to manage that. He’s in good form now, he’s been training lately and he’s feeling very good.”
“When Ben is at the level he’s shown, he’s a top player for us, a player who drives the team in a different way and gives us a different threat on the wing, and we need him at his best.”
The Spaniard is expected to rotate through the squad as the north London outfit aim to progress past Brighton. Arteta will look to manage his squad’s workload ahead of a busy period.
“We’re going to manage our time and load as best as we can because, as you say, we’re going to have a lot of games with a very short recovery time, which is a little unusual, but we’re going to remain very competitive,” the coach said.
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