Arsenal will be facing AFC Bournemouth in their next contest of the Premier League on Saturday. Mikel Arteta’s side is currently in serious injury woes and the availability of certain players is under dark clouds. The international break has not lived to its expectations for The Gunners. They were expecting situations to be in their favor but it didn’t happen. A long injury list includes Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney as long term absentees. Ben White and Jurrien Timber were also unavailable when the Gunners played Southampton and now Bukayo Saka is also in doubt. However, answering all these queries, Arsenal manager spoke in his pre-match press conference. Lets find out what he said.
What Arteta said in press conference before Arsenal vs Bournemouth
Players like Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz withdrew their names from international duty due to knocks. Similarly, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli sustained injuries during their national duty. Hence, a number of candidates can be missing the outing to Vitality Stadium.
Arsenal will not be willing to take risks with their squad as they have some huge fixtures awaiting. Matches against Liverpool, Manchester City and Inter Milan in the Champions League will pose a greater threat to their silverware hopes. Therefore, the players need to maintain fitness for these crucial games.
Arteta on Bukayo Saka – Speaking about their talisman winger, the gaffer said that they are hopeful. The Englishman was available to play for England against Finland after his injury which is a good sign. Arteta told that the medical staff is doing assessment of the injury, and he is evolving well.
Arteta on Kai Havertz – The Spanish manager spoke about the German forward in the press conference. He said,
“He had a few issues, but we’ve been dealing with that. We have great communication with Germany. If he trains well today, he has a good chance to be fit and available.”
Arteta on Gabriel Martinelli – The Brazilian picked up a knock while playing against Chile. Speaking about him, Arteta said that he has landed in North London. They will assess his condition and see what the player is feeling. However, the management is not willing to risk him as he is a huge figure in the squad and want him to be available for bigger stages.
Arteta on Martin Odegaard – The Norwegian has been unavailable since the previous international break where he picked up a serious leg injury. Arteta told that he will not be available for selection this week. Though, the next week will be crucial when he will be in the latter stages of rehabilitation and getting some markers to do with the ball.
Arteta on Timber, Tomiyasu and Ben White – The Gunners’ boss told that the two are under constant vigilance and it cannot be said anything as of now. However, they do are struggling on their right back spot currently. Speaking about the Japanese, Mikel said that he is currently missing Tomiyasu as he will be out for some more time. He also praised the work rate Tomiyasu brings while on the field and is a major missing in the team.
A major update for the fans is that Thomas Partey is fit and healthy. He will be available for selection against the Cherries and will play a huge role if he gets some minutes on the field. Do drop your thoughts in the comments section below.
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