Arsenal injury news ahead of Liverpool clash; Bukayo Saka not spotted in training

Mikel Arteta is set to miss three key players against the Reds.

Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium for a thrilling match on Sunday. It will be one of the most significant tests of their Premier League title prospects.

Last Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s team was destined to lose the first game of the 2024–25 season as they travelled to Bournemouth and lost 2-0 due to a red card for William Saliba.

The Gunners, who are third dropped points and are four points behind Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League standings, but they bounced back in the Champions League midweek with a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mikel Arteta has a somewhat diminished team going into the game. Bukayo Saka was absent from training at London Colney today after missing the previous two games due to a thigh injury. Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, who were sidelined due to a knee injury in the middle of the week, did not participate in the session either.

The defender doesn’t seem to be available for Sunday, despite initial reports that said Calafiori’s condition may keep him out of action for up to 10 weeks. However, other sources say the situation may not be as serious as that. Arteta may be forced to use 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly as a makeshift left-back or call up one of Oleksandr Zinchenko or Jakub Kiwior, who are both unpopular at the Emirates.

Jurrien Timber might also be sidelined. Timber hasn’t played for the Gunners since being substituted at halftime in a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain before the international break.

If Saka is finally judged unfit, that may be the most damaging loss. Prior to suffering a thigh injury while on international service, the Englishman was playing well.

Charles Watts, an Arsenal journalist, cautioned that the 23-year-old winger might not play against Liverpool either after he was ruled out of the match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the middle of the week. Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus will probably be Arteta’s choice to replace his talisman.

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