Mikel Arteta has given an injury update on William Saliba and Jurrien Timber ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Leeds United.
Arsenal hope to get back to winning ways in the league following their thrilling 3-2 loss to Manchester United last weekend.
The Gunners’ lead at the top of the league was reduced to only four points after the loss, which was their first at the Emirates this season.
In the middle of the week, Arteta’s team recovered, defeating Kairat Almaty 3-2 to finish the Champions League league phase with a perfect record.
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Although Arsenal were able to welcome back Riccardo Calaifori and Kai Havertz to the starting lineup, the aforementioned Timber and Saliba were sidelined by injury.
The defensive duo have been important for Arsenal this season but were absent from Tuesday’s training, with Arteta revealing the pair had ‘slight niggles’.
What Arteta Said About The Defensive Duo
According to the Metro, the Arsenal boss stated that the two players are already back in training and completely fit for Saturday’s trip to Elland Road.
“Yeah, they are okay,” Arteta said in Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“They have played a lot of minutes, and were carrying a few niggles, and it was a great opportunity [to rest them].”
When Havertz returned to the team against Kairat, he was only given 45 minutes, but Arteta stated that the German is prepared to start again this weekend if necessary.
‘He is ready. He started the other day. It has been a long period, but there was no reaction,’ the Spaniard confirmed.
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