Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber and William Saliba are both set to miss the midweek game against Kairat.
The Gunners are currently preparing for a Champions League game on Wednesday night, in which they’ll face off against Khazakhstani side Kairat. They’ve already secured a spot in the knockout phase, so Arteta has the chance to rotate his squad.
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It means that the likes of Christian Norgaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Mikel Merino could all get starts, and players such as Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Gabriel could be rested. It will be useful for Arteta, as his side face a tough trip to Leeds United at the weekend.
However, he does have some injury concerns to worry about. Max Dowman has been ruled out, and Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz are both doubts ahead of Wednesday’s game.
Key Arsenal duo both ruled out of Kairat clash
For all the positive news surrounding the Champions League, Arsenal did suffer a blow, as Arteta confirmed on Tuesday that both William Saliba and Jurrien Timber have been ruled out of the game against Kairat.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “They’ve got slight niggles. They have some niggles and it is a good opportunity to get them in the best possible condition for the weekend.”
It is understood that Arteta believes they can both return before the game against Leeds this weekend, but if they don’t it could be a major blow, as he would be forced to rotate against a Daniel Farke side, who are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 matches.
Arteta plans to manage Havertz’s workload
As mentioned, Kai Havertz could finally make a full return from his knee injury, that has kept him out on and off for almost a year. It’s great news for Arteta, but he made sure to emphasise that he’s going to be careful and cautious with the German attacker.
He said: “Obviously, he has been out for a long time, almost a year, for different reasons, and now we have to be very smart in the manner that we manage that load, the minutes.
“It is great that we have him. We can use him in different positions. We will see him in different positions, and we are really happy to have him.”
Havertz could be in line to make his first start back this week against Kairat, if not he could feature against Leeds this weekend.
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