Mikel Arteta has provided fitness updates on Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford.
The Gunners are still on a high following Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over Real Madrid which has put them in sight of a Champions League semi-final appearance.
England stars Saka and Rice were to the fore against the reigning European champions but failed to complete 90 minutes.
In Saka’s case, he hobbled off shortly before Mikel Mertino put his side 3-0 to the good, which represented a worrying sight given he has only just returned from a three-month lay-off following hamstring surgery.
Rice, meanwhile, the scorer of two stupendous free-kicks, also limped off during the closing stages nursing a bloodied ankle.
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Arteta was, however, able to give a positive updated at his pre-match press conference on Friday and told reporters: ‘So with Dec and Bukayo they are both fit and it was just a matter of two kicks so they are available for tomorrow.’
Asked if he could make wholesale changes tomorrow ahead Wednesday’s return leg at the Bernabeu, the Arsenal manager added: ‘We will look at now how the players have recovered, it is not only about this game, it is about the schedule we have in the next few weeks. Whoever plays we will be very competitive.’
Could Kai Havertz play again this season?
There was positive news too on the recoveries being made by Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz.
The Italy international suffered another injury setback playing for his country last month but he looks set to make an imminent return.
‘Riccardo is progressing really well,’ said Arteta. ‘To give you a timeline it’s difficult because he needs to step up, especially having more people around and how he reacts after that. But he’s in a good place I think.’
Havertz, meanwhile, had been ruled out for the rest of the season after, like Saka, undergoing hamstring surgery but there is now an outside chance he could play again, especially if Arsenal have something tangible to play for.
Is Declan Rice Arsenal’s free-kick taker?
After his astonishing brace against Real, Rice now looks set to take over as Arsenal’s main dead ball specialist, regardless of whether or not he features against the Bees.
‘That is something we discuss a lot,’ said Arteta when asked if Rice had now usurped Martine Odegaard, who hasn’t scored a direct free-kick since September 2001.
‘The different ways he can create moments in and around the box whether it is through crosses or scoring goals because he has all the qualities.
‘He can run into the box, he can eliminate people by dribbling, he has a long-range shot. That’s where we are heading with him, to become someone that can decide a game with different tools.’