Arteta weighs Saka, Timber, Calafiori’s fitness ahead Liverpool clash

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will make last-minute calls on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, and Jurrien Timber ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Arteta provided an injury update on Friday in a statement titled “Injury Updates on Saka, Calafiori, and Timber,” confirming that while the trio could play, it’s “too early to confirm either way.”

PUNCH Online reports that Arsenal, currently fourth with 17 points, trail Manchester City and Liverpool, who sit four points clear at the top.

This was contained in a Friday statement titled, “Injury updates on Saka, Calafiori, and Timber,” giving an update on the team news.

Similarly, PUNCH Online reports that Arsenal will host English Premier League table leader Liverpool FC on Sunday, October 27.

At the Sobha Realty Training Centre, Arteta detailed the players’ conditions, saying at his pre-match press conference, “We’re going to do our very best to somehow have them available, but it’s very uncertain.”

On Saka’s status, he added, “[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.”

Calafiori, meanwhile, will undergo further tests: “Yesterday he had some; today he’s going to have some more… 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.”

Timber, Arteta noted, had his “first session that he could have some involvement” and was progressing faster than anticipated.

However, he advised patience: “We expected him to be further back than where he is at the moment but, again, we have to wait and see.”

Arteta also confirmed that William Saliba will miss Sunday’s game due to suspension after his red card against Bournemouth, saying, “We have different options, players that have already played there before. It’s true that that partnership has been very stable… We have to find a different solution, which is something that, as a team, we need to be good at as well.”

According to the statement, no updates were provided on Martin Odegaard (ankle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), or Kieran Tierney (hamstring), keeping their availability uncertain for the match against Liverpool.