Arsenal have Julian Timber, Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafioli, Piero Hincapie and Martin Ødegaard listed as injury doubts ahead of their Premier League game against Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta gave the latest information in his pre-match press conference
Manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed Eberechi Eze will be available for Arsenal’s Premier League game against Bournemouth on Saturday, but declined to give updates on several other star players.
Eze returned to training on Thursday following a calf injury and is ready to rejoin the team. It was speculated that the midfielder could be out for six weeks, but Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he is fit again.
“He’s free,” he said. “Then, when I had my first conversation with him, I got the feeling that he wanted to be available the next week. That just wasn’t possible. The recovery, the resilience he showed, the way he persevered.”
Arteta also praised Eze’s mentality on the sideline. The 27-year-old has been sidelined since the 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on March 17 and has been working hard to regain fitness.
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“One of them, I didn’t know he was so determined, so tenacious, so willing to push himself in a really powerful way,” Arteta said. “When you take away the opportunity to play, you can see the reaction. The energy he brings to the team.”
Julian Timber, Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafioli, Piero Hincapie and Martin Odegaard all missed Thursday’s training session, raising doubts about their availability for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off against Bournemouth in north London.
Asked about injuries, Arteta decided to keep his cards close to his chest. “Yes, there has been a change since yesterday,” he said cryptically.
Eberechi Eze ready to return (Image: 2026 DeFodi Images)
When I pressed him further, he simply replied, “I don’t know. Some of them.” He then asked Hincapie if he was feeling well, to which he replied, “There will be a change tomorrow.”
Odegaard came on as a substitute in Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Sporting, a game in which Timber, Saka and Hincapie were absent.
Arsenal are also without midfielder Mikel Merino, who suffered a stress fracture in his foot in January that required surgery. Asked about the Spain international, who is keen to represent his country at this summer’s World Cup, Arteta said: “Well, he’s also a player who wants to push all boundaries.”
“He has already had a lot of practice. He has responded well to the surgery and is not in pain. We are confident that there is a chance to shorten the surgery period.”
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Arsenal enter the weekend nine points behind second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. After facing Bournemouth, the Gunners face Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday before facing City next Sunday.
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