Bukayo Saka may be ready to return for Arsenal in a derby date with Chelsea after being able to rest his hamstring during the international break.
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Winger nursing hamstring complaintDefender struggling with toe problemBoth could line up against the BluesWHAT HAPPENED?
The 22-year-old forward was forced out of a Champions League clash with Lens on October 3 after picking up a muscle complaint and played no part in the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over Manchester City. He was then removed from the England squad for their matches with Australia and Italy.
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Arsenal will handle Saka with care – given his importance to the collective cause – but there is a chance that he will figure at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Mikel Arteta told reporters when asked about that subject: “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 as well, but the rest [of the international break] has not been rest for him because he needed to do the treatment and train, and get ready to be available against Chelsea.”
Arteta added when asked about the demands placed on Saka, with the talented winger having barely missed a game over the last four seasons: “I think we have to play him when we see he is in the right condition to play as well – mentally, and physically – and that he is performing. He needs to deserve to play and that’s another story. But so far, when he has played that amount of minutes or games, it is because we believed that he was ready to cope with that.”
GettyWHAT THEY SAID
William Saliba is another Arsenal star that has been carrying a knock of late, with the 22-year-old defender not linking up with France during the international break. He is said to be nursing a toe complaint, with Arteta saying when asked if that will hinder the classy centre-half for the season of the season: “Hopefully not. He’s been carrying that for weeks now. We had to use that time to settle and we believed it was the best moment to do that.”
Arsenal’s head coach added when asked if Saliba will figure against Chelsea: “Depending on how he trains today.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The Gunners head into their meeting with Chelsea sat joint-top of the Premier League with north London rivals Tottenham – with both sides having picked up 20 points from their eight games in the 2023-24 campaign.