Arsenal welcomed back Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey following their respective injury problems in the 1-0 win against Manchester City before the international break.
The Gunners duo proved to be key figures in last season’s Premier League title challenge and Mikel Arteta will be grateful to have both of them fully fit after the international break.
However, there remain concerns regarding Bukayo Saka’s fitness after he was absent from the squad that beat City before withdrawing from England duty. The Hale End graduate has been suffering from a hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League defeat against RC Lens last week.
After the 2-1 defeat against the Ligue 1 outfit, Arteta said: “He [Saka] felt something and then you are tempted to risk him, but he was unable to train yesterday so that put him out of the game straight away. It’s a blow not to have him but we have lost players in recent weeks and have adapted to it.
“He is a really important player, there is no question about that, but the team has to use the resources that we have to make it, even without him,” Arteta added. A statement from England revealed that Saka had reported for duty at St. George’s Park before being ruled out of the upcoming fixtures against Australia and Italy.
A report from the Evening Standard claims that Saka is now set for injury rehab over this week before having a weekend off with the rest of the squad. The report adds the Arsenal forward will be an assessed next week as to whether he can return to training before the clash with Chelsea.
Meanwhile, there are concerns Leandro Trossard could miss the game against Mauricio Pochettino’s side after he picked up a fresh hamstring problem in the win against City. Arteta has been left sweating over the fitness of star defender William Saliba, but football.london understands that the toe issue he sustained isn’t a huge concern and has been an ongoing discomfort for some time.
It means there’s some hope that Saliba should be back to face London rivals Chelsea in just less than two weeks’ time. There is optimism that the Frenchman and Saka will be available for selection against the Blues when Premier League action resumes as Arsenal look to continue their unbeaten run and remain at the top of the table.
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