Arsenal could be without two more key players for their trip to Liverpool, with Mikel Arteta likely to at least attempt to use that uncertainty against Arne Slot.
The first month of the new campaign will conclude with a clash between last season’s champions and runners-up, with Liverpool hosting Arsenal on August 31.
While the Reds are yet to play their second Premier League game – that coming against Newcastle on Monday night – Arsenal made it two wins from two with a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds on Saturday.
During that comprehensive win, however, Arteta’s side sustained two more injuries to key players.
Bukayo Saka was forced off with a hamstring issue early into the second half, with captain Martin Odegaard also having come off having fallen awkwardly on his shoulder before the break.
Mikel Arteta said seeing Liverpool win the Premier League was ‘painful’ (Martin Rickett/PA)
“[Bukayo] felt something while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign,” Arteta told reporters after the match.
“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, speak to the doctors and understand better what he’s done. But he’s had his injuries before, he knows exactly the feeling of that, so let’s wait.”
On Odegaard’s substitution, the manager added: “Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed.
“We don’t know, we’ll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better.”
Expect mind games from Arteta
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 11, 2025: Liverpool supporters' banner featuring Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta "Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride" during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It remains to be seen if either will be definitively ruled out of the trip to Liverpool, with it almost certain Arteta will look to employ mind games to keep Slot in the dark regardless.
“He likes to play games with the opposition,” left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko wrote in his book Believe.
“I’ve seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent.”
Striker Kai Havertz is expected to miss out though, having picked up a knee injury before the win over Leeds, reducing Arsenal‘s attacking options.
“We’ve been two weeks and we’ve already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo, so it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want,” Arteta added.
Gabriel Jesus, Ben White and Christian Norgaard are also sidelined at present, which could at the very least make for an inexperienced bench at Anfield.
Arsenal introduced their latest signing ahead of kickoff against Leeds, however, with £67.5 million Eberechi Eze capable of immediately replacing either Odegaard or Saka.
Liverpool are without right-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley ahead of their trip to Newcastle, while there are doubts over Joe Gomez‘s fitness and Stefan Bajcetic is a long-term absentee.
If Gomez is not able to play on Monday night, Slot could choose between midfielders Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back.