In question: Arsenal will make a late decision on the fitness of William Saliba before their trip to Burnley
Arsenal Football Newsletter
Arsenal are uncertain if William Saliba will be fit to face Burnley in the Premier League this weekend, though Gabriel Martinelli will definitely remain out.
The pair missed Arsenal’s 2-0 home win against Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.
Martinelli injured his thigh during the 1-0 top-flight victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, while Saliba picked up a knock to his ankle in the same game.
Saliba was forced to come off at half-time against Palace, while Martinelli finished the match but limped down the tunnel after the full-time whistle.
Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori were also taken off injured in that game, while Bukayo Saka struggled to train in the build-up to it due to illness.
However, all three were then involved against Brighton, with Rice and Saka both coming off the bench, the latter scoring Arsenal’s second goal late on, and Calafiori remaining an unused substitute.
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Speaking on Friday ahead of Arsenal’s trip to face promoted Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said when asked if there were any new injuries in his squad: “No, I think we have the same ones. Martinelli is still out. Saliba, we have to wait and see.”
Pushed on a potential timeline for Martinelli’s return, he added: “We don’t know yet, but I think this game is going to come too early for him.”
Arsenal will once again be missing captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke against Burnley, along with long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus, though Arteta is hopeful of having some of those players back soon, with some important fixtures coming up next month against the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
“Weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully,” Arteta said. “Difficult to put a game on it, we have the [November] international break.”
More to follow