Mikel Arteta confirmed the fitness status of William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, while Kai Havertz could start on the bench for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has far less injury troubles than his adversary on the Chelsea bench. There are a few key decisions for the Arsenal boss to make for his team selections in Saturday’s match. The fitness of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba were thrust into the spotlight.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta got asked about the duo’s fitness. But the Gunners boss did not confirm or deny their status. On the general fitness update Arteta said, “Not a lot. We obviously have a limited number of players.”
“It’s the first training session we’re going to do today, and we will know more after the session.” Then, talking about Saka, he continued, “I’m sure he wants to play. I don’t see any player there that doesn’t want to be in the starting XI.”
“He has been working so hard to be fit for this game, and let’s see where he is at today. He had a couple of days off that he needed. But the rest, unfortunately, has not been rest for him because he needed the treatment and training to get ready to be available against Chelsea.”
Chelsea vs Arsenal Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Arteta also insisted he would pick Saliba based on how he responds in training. He suggested Arsenal used the international break to treat his minor toe problem. He continued, “Hopefully not, but he has been carrying that for weeks now, and we have to use that time to settle. We believe that this was the best moment to do it.”
As for confirmed absentees, only Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard miss out. The Belgian international suffered a reoccurrence of a hamstring problem against Manchester City. He later withdrew from national team duties.
With Saliba likely to start, Arsenal will use the same back four, including Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko. David Raya will also continue keeping goal for the Gunners ahead of Aaron Ramsdale.
Thomas Partey could make his first start in a while, as he has gained reasonable game time for Ghana during the international break. He will sit at the base and replace Jorginho from the last game. Declan Rice will continue down the left channel, with Martin Odegaard on the right side.
Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus were the most potent front three in the Premier League last season. But this term , they have played a total of 14 minutes together. Arteta could tempt himself to combine their powers finally, but that will depend on Saka’s status. If Saka does not start, Arteta might deploy Jesus down the right side. But he could opt to start Kai Havertz in the centre-forward role.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
