Arsenal will be missing five players for the match against Bournemouth, with the decision regarding Bukayo Saka now confirmed…

Arsenal will be without five players for their match against Bournemouth, with a decision regarding Bukayo Saka now confirmed.

Five players will be unavailable for Arsenal in their fixture against Bournemouth, and the decision regarding Bukayo Saka has been officially confirmed.

Mikel Arteta is anxiously monitoring the fitness of several Arsenal players as they prepare to face Bournemouth.

The Gunners will head to Bournemouth on Saturday evening, knowing that a victory would elevate them above Manchester City and Liverpool, placing them at the top of the Premier League standings.

Securing all three points at the Vitality Stadium would send a strong message from Arsenal, especially with both Manchester City and Liverpool scheduled to play on Sunday. However, Arteta is facing several injury issues, and some players will undergo late fitness assessments before the 5:30 PM kick-off.

Bukayo Saka is among those players, having sustained a muscular injury during England’s 2-1 loss to Greece last week. Arteta remains optimistic that the 23-year-old will be fit enough to travel. “It’s not a serious injury,” Arteta stated to the media on Friday morning.

“He’s progressing well. He has participated in some activities over the past few days since returning from the national team after the second match. We are hopeful.

We have a training session this afternoon, and he did some work yesterday, so we will see if he can be ready in time.”

Arteta’s update on Saka is encouraging, especially when considering Lee Carsley’s remarks that the Hale End product “would have been close” for England’s match against Finland on Sunday, which could bode well for Saturday’s game.

Additionally, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli are also concerns for the upcoming match, although the German is expected to be available against Bournemouth.

“Yes, he had a few issues, and we’ve been managing that. He has been absolutely outstanding,” Arteta commented on Havertz.

“He maintains excellent communication with the national team and the manager, who understood the situation.”

“We have adjusted everything we could here, and if he trains well today, he stands a good chance of being fit and available.”

Martinelli, who sustained a calf injury while representing Brazil, is uncertain for the upcoming match. Arteta mentioned, “Gabi arrived yesterday afternoon, so our time with him has been quite limited.

“He went outside yesterday to assess how he was feeling, and today will be another opportunity to determine if we want to take the risk of including him if he is fit. I know he will say, ‘I’m going to be fit.’”

Arteta confirmed that club captain Martin Odegaard will definitely be absent from Saturday’s game as he continues his recovery from a foot injury. Meanwhile, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all “quite close” to returning.

“Today we will need to push and see who is available because we are stronger with more players, especially on our right side. Hopefully, we will receive some positive updates today and have some players back tomorrow,” Arteta stated.

On a positive note, Thomas Partey is fit and will be included in the matchday squad, while Kieran Tierney remains sidelined.

Neto, who is on loan from Bournemouth, is ineligible to play against his parent club, so Tommy Setford is expected to join the squad as cover for David Raya. Setford has recently returned to training after dealing with his own injury issues.

Additionally, Arteta confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu has suffered a new injury, which is a significant setback ahead of an important series of matches.

“We are unsure how long he will be out. It doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue, but we need to assess how he responds to the load and impact on the pitch upon his return,” Arteta explained.

“We truly need him; he has been exceptional, demonstrating remarkable work ethic and dedication to get back in shape.

“He achieved that and was performing well, but now he faces another setback. We are all supporting him, and we hope for a swift recovery.”

Considering the information provided, it seems that Arsenal will be missing Odegaard, Tierney, Tomiyasu, and Neto for the upcoming match, with Martinelli’s participation still uncertain.

This situation likely means that Arteta will be unable to select at least five senior players for Saturday’s game.

According to the official Arsenal website, the team has 17 fit and eligible senior players available for the match against Bournemouth.

Premier League regulations permit clubs to name a squad of 20 players for a match, indicating that some academy players will need to step in.

As previously noted, Setford will serve as backup for Raya since Neto is ineligible to face his parent club.

• Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are expected to be the other two young players included in the squad, as they have been regularly training with the first team.

Potential Arsenal squad for Bournemouth: Raya, Setford; Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Calafiori, White, Timber, Zinchenko; Partey, Rice, Merino, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Nwaneri; Saka, Trossard, Sterling, Jesus, Havertz.

Unavailable senior players for Bournemouth: Odegaard (ankle injury), Tomiyasu (knee injury), Tierney (hamstring injury), Neto (ineligible), Martinelli (calf injury – doubtful).