Ahead of what will prove to be a pivotal encounter at the top of the table against Liverpool, everyone connected with Arsenal has been sweating over the fitness of key players, Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal fans went into natural panic mode when it was reported that Saka, Calafiori and Timber were not seen in the Arsenal training photos. Saka’s last performance for Arsenal was that masterclass against Southampton, with the Arsenal talisman scoring a goal and providing two assists for Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli. Sadly, he played 51 minutes for England against Greece and pulled up short with what seemed to be a muscular injury.
Jurrien Timber has featured consistently this season, keeping Oleksandr Zinchenko out of the side and his versatility was on show, as Ben White’s injury niggles saw Timber move to the right allowing Riccardo Calafiori to feature regularly on the left. However, Timber played only 45 minutes against Paris St. Germain and has not played ever since. He even missed international duty and speculation has been rife on his fitness.
Riccardo Calafiori, on the other hand, has been ever-present on the left hand side of the defense, playing very well in his new club, so it was unfortunate to see how his leg bent awkwardly in the win over Shakhtar Donetsk and still played on. He was substituted for Myles Lewis-Skelly in the 72nd minute and he’s odds on to miss the crunch clash against Liverpool this weekend.
Speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, Arteta provided some vital updates on his three key players.
Injury Updates on Riccardo Calafiori
In his Shakhtar Donetsk post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta stated that Calafiori ‘felt something’ and he wasn’t sure of the extent of his injury. Calafiori went for a scan after the game and folks close to the Italian, as well as his representatives spoke to Sky Sports Italia, stating that the initial prognosis is more optimistic than initially thought.
The injury will certainly rule him out of the match against Liverpool, and it’s expected to keep him out for a couple of weeks, not months.
On Calafiori, Arteta stated,
“Riccy needs some more tests. Yesterday he had some, today he’s going to have some more and after that we will know. Last time we thought it was really bad and he ended up playing two or three days after, so let’s see how it is.”
This is particularly bad news and I feel sad for the Italian defender as he has been one of the bright sparks this season. We will monitor the information regarding his scan hopefully, he wouldn’t be out for a long time.
Injury Updates on Jurrien Timber
With William Saliba currently suspended for one match following his red card in the defeat against Bournemouth, Timber’s importance to the squad and moved up a notch. If Timber is declared fit, he can feature in the heart of the defense alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, allowing White to feature in his favored right back position.
With Calafiori out injured and Oleksandr Zinchenko no where close to full fitness, Jakub Kiwior is odds on to play in left back, despite his recent gaffe against Bournemouth. Arteta can make the ballsy move to start Lewis-Skelly, but if Kiwior is to be favored on the left, Arsenal need Timber fit.
On Timber,
“Timber, again, it’s the first session that he could have some involvement. He’s been out for a while, we expected him to be further back than where he is at the moment but, again, we have to wait and see.
This is encouraging and we are hopeful Timber can come back in good condition to feature against Liverpool.
Injury Updates on Bukayo Saka
Saka is undoubtedly Arsenal’s most important player and his output has been exemplary, scoring two goals and creating seven assists. After such an amazing performance against Southampton, Arsenal fans were licking their lips with the prospect of watching Saka after the international break, and he was hugely missed against Bournemouth as Arsenal looked out of sorts on the night.
That loss dropped Arsenal to third place and with top of the table Liverpool coming to town, having your best player fit has to be the top most priority. Common sense prevailed as Saka missed the second England match against Finland but in the end, he wasn’t fit enough to play Bournemouth. Missing out on Shakhtar Donetsk was understandable, but every one waited for Arteta’s comments on his star boy,
“[Saka] has done a bit of training on the grass. How far we can get him to Sunday, that’s a different question. We have another day, which is a good thing, but we’ll see.”
Saka clearly wouldn’t be 100 percent when Arsenal plays Liverpool, but if we can get 60 minutes out of him, we will take it. I know he wouldn’t want to miss a game of this caliber but the onus is on the medical team to get him to be in the best condition to play the game.