Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Arsenal’s injury situation ahead of Saturday night’s must-win Premier League clash with Fulham.
Mikel Arteta gives update on Arsenal’s injury situation (Image: Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Arsenal’s injury situation ahead of their crucial game against Fulham. A win would give the Gunners a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s determined challengers do not play until Monday night away to European hopefuls Everton.
The disappointing news is that Kai Havertz and Julian Timber will be unavailable for the game against the Cottages. “Kai and Julien will be absent,” Arteta said of the duo, but admitted the club had no new fitness concerns following the stalemate in the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid in midweek.
He added, “I think so. Let’s see how everyone is doing tomorrow morning. We haven’t had much practice, so we plan to give a final report tomorrow.”
read more: Arsenal and Aston Villa were making a fuss in Europe, but the same shouldn’t happen in the Premier League.read more: Premier League committee admits Gabriel should have been sent off for headbutting Erling Haaland
Follow the Arsenal FB page! For the latest Gunners news and details, visit our dedicated Facebook page.
There is also uncertainty over the availability of captain Martin Odegaard, who was substituted in the second period at the Metropolitano.
Asked if he was fit to play this weekend, Arteta said: “We’ll see.”
The Norwegian has been plagued by a knee problem in recent months, which was a 1-1 stalemate at Brentford in February.
He has been on the treatment bed on several occasions, but has returned to the starting XI in recent weeks to help the Gunners win silver medals in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Arteta’s comments seem to indicate that it is by no means certain whether he is fit to face Marco Silva’s side at the Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka made a cameo off the bench against Spain for the second consecutive year, while Ricardo Calafioli also returned to the match-day squad after his knock the other day.
Timber is believed to be inching closer to a return from a groin issue, but has now been sidelined for more than seven weeks.
Havertz’s groin problem is thought to be less serious than initially feared and he could still feature until the end of Arsenal’s season.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
