SETTABLOID

Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates tonight, in what is undoubtedly Mikel Arteta’s side’s biggest challenge of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign so far.

The Gunners will be looking to return to winning ways after falling to defeat against Bournemouth last weekend, in another outing ruined by an early dismissal.

Centre-back William Saliba was originally cautioned for dragging down striker Evanilson, but after an on-field VAR review, the Frenchman was given a straight red card.

He will subsequently miss this afternoon’s meeting, making the task a little bit harder for the Gunners if they are to inflict just a second league defeat of the season on Arne Slot’s team.

Numerous big decisions await the Spaniard, including who to replace Saliba with, but he may also be tempted to drop one player after his performances in the last seven days.

Arsenal are set to make late fitness calls on several players ahead of their highly anticipated showdown with Liverpool this afternoon. Key figures Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori remain in doubt, while captain Martin Ødegaard is confirmed to be sidelined due to an ankle injury sustained on international duty with Denmark.

Saka, who exited England’s game against Greece due to injury, has not played since missing last weekend’s defeat to Bournemouth and Tuesday’s Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Although he resumed light training on Friday, the England winger did so separately from his teammates. Manager Mikel Arteta hasn’t ruled him out but acknowledges that Saka’s time to prove his fitness is limited.

Defensive challenges are also mounting for the Gunners. William Saliba will miss today’s match after receiving a red card against Bournemouth. His absence would typically open the door for Calafiori, but the Italian is also a doubt following a knee issue that forced him off against Shakhtar. Arteta described the news on Calafiori as “not great,” highlighting potential depth concerns at the back.

Arsenal are looking to keep pace in the Premier League title race after Manchester City pulled six points clear on Saturday afternoon.

Erling Haaland’s goal was enough in a 1-0 win over strugglers Southampton. The contribution saw them return to the top of the table ahead of Liverpool, two points clear of Arne Slot’s team, who now travel to north London on Sunday afternoon for a mouth-watering match-up.

Mikel Arteta has stressed about his injury issues and selection problems ahead of their latest table-topping match. Captain Martin Odegaard and William Saliba will miss the visit from the Merseysiders through injury and suspension respectively – and are big misses.

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are doubts for the showdown after suffering problems in recent weeks. Calafiori was the latest worry after limping off during Tuesday night’s win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Saka hasn’t featured for Arsenal since before October’s international break after he picked up a hamstring injury for England against Greece. Timber has been out for nearly a month, meanwhile, and Ronald Koeman has opted against selecting him in the Netherlands’ provisional squad for November’s round of fixtures.

Images emerged on social media of Saka and Timber ‘with the Arsenal squad’ in the team hotel on Saturday night. The development came after Arteta cast scrutiny over their proposed involvement against the Reds this weekend.

Arsenal have been handed two pieces of injury news ahead of Sunday afternoon’s mouth-watering clash with title rivals Liverpool. The Gunners could be without a number of senior stars amid a possible defensive headache.

William Saliba will sit out the game due to the red card he picked up at Bournemouth last weekend, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is a doubt – and Kieran Tierney has yet to return from his hamstring setback.

Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori faces a late fitness check – after missing open training on Friday. He sustained a knee problem in Arsenal’s midweek win over Shakhtar Donetsk, being brought off on 73 minutes.

Jurrien Timber is also a doubt. The Dutchman has not played since being brought off at half-time in their Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain on October 1.

He was, likewise, not seen in open training on Friday with Mikel Arteta confessing: “We expected him to be further back than where he is at the moment, but again we have to wait and see.”

Head coach of the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman, is not considering him for selection for November’s international break and has omitted him from his provisional squad. The nature of Timber’s setback is unknown – but he did miss almost the entirety of last season with an ACL injury.

Mikel Arteta will have to do something he hasn’t done in a very long time on Sunday. Last season William Saliba played every minute as Arsenal ran Manchester City all the way in the title race. After his controversial red card at Bournemouth last weekend though, the Frenchman is suspended for the upcoming visit of Liverpool.

Last time Arsenal had to cope without Saliba, things went pretty catastrophically. Rob Holding failed to fill the void left by the 23-year-old and Arsenal blew a huge lead at the top of the Premier League table. This time Arteta is hoping his squad can cope a little better.

We’re grouping these two together because both are huge doubts. Jurrien Timber has not played for nearly a month due to a muscle issue, while Riccardo Calafiori suffered a knee injury during Tuesday’s win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Arsenal injury struggles continue to mount as they prepare for a challenging match against Liverpool, but there is a glimmer of hope as captain Martin Odegaard nears a return. Mikel Arteta will be without several key players for the clash, with William Saliba suspended and Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, and Bukayo Saka all facing injury doubts.

Long-term absentees Takehiro Tomiyasu and Odegaard have also left Arsenal short-handed, but Odegaard’s potential comeback offers Arsenal a timely boost.

In his matchday program notes, Odegaard provided an update on his injury recovery, sharing his anticipation to return soon. “I’ve been out for a few weeks now and have been working hard to get back as soon as possible,” he said. “I feel like it’s close now, but although I haven’t been involved in the games lately, I feel I’ve still been able to use that time pretty well too.”

Odegaard detailed his recovery process, highlighting the extensive work with Arsenal’s medical and fitness teams. “I’m usually pretty tired afterwards because I’ve been doing a lot of work with the great medical and fitness team we have, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym as well. I’ve wanted to stay involved with what’s happening too, so I’ve been going to the preparation meetings and have been closely involved,” he explained.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber has returned to training, stirring hope among fans as they spotted the Dutch international in a background shot from a recent session. The defender’s availability for the upcoming clash with Liverpool is eagerly awaited, especially as Arsenal’s defensive ranks have been significantly depleted.

William Saliba will miss the match due to suspension, while defenders Kieran Tierney, Riccardo Calafiori, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all sidelined with injuries. Timber’s versatility, which allows him to operate at left-back, right-back, or centre-back, could provide Arteta with crucial options should he be fit enough to play. With Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah known for his deadly left foot, Timber’s ability to slot into the left-back position could be particularly useful.

However, Timber has been out for more than three weeks due to an injury, and initial reports suggested he was still not participating in full training as of Friday. Those concerns were somewhat alleviated after Arteta confirmed that Timber had managed limited involvement in the latest session.

Mikel Arteta has hinted that he could soon hand a first Premier League start to either Myles Lewis-Skelly or Ethan Nwaneri.

The pair of academy graduates have been heavily involved in the Arsenal first team this season. Between them they’ve made a combined eight appearances, with two of those coming as starters.

Nwaneri has long been ear-marked as a star at Arsenal, and has impressed in cameos against Leicester and Bournemouth when the Gunners have been chasing the game. Lewis-Skelly, meanwhile, was given a huge vote of confidence on Tuesday night when he was chosen ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko to replace the injured Riccardo Calafiori.

With Martin Odegaard out injured and several players missing in the back line, many have argued that Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly should be thrown in from the start against Liverpool. Speaking ahead of the top of the table clash, Arteta admitted it’s something he’s considering.

Mikel Arteta has admitted the uncertainty over his back four ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Liverpool is likely to give him a sleepless night.

The Spaniard is guaranteed to be without skipper Martin Odegaard, and could also be missing Bukayo Saka. It’s the absence of William Saliba that is causing him the biggest issue though.

Saliba is suspended after his red card at Bournemouth last weekend. The Frenchman’s absence leaves Arteta needing to pick a new right centre back for the first time since May 2023.

Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are both contenders to fill the role, but both are huge doubts for the game. Calafiori has a race to be fit after picking up a knee issue in Tuesday’s 1-0 over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Timber, meanwhile, is nearing a return after nearly a month out with a muscle problem picked up in the 2-0 victory over PSG.

Arteta is set to give both full-backs as long as possible to be available for the game, but admitted that the uncertainty is likely to give him a sleepless night ahead of Sunday’s match.

“Normally I prefer to go to bed with the line up in my head so I can sleep like a baby,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “But sometimes it can not be as you have to wait for the next day. Sometimes two days before. Or just three days before you already have the idea ‘against this team this is what I am going to do’ but when you have uncertainty with injuries that is tricky.