ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta has said he is keeping his fingers crossed over the availability of Bukayo Saka for the Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
Saka, the England international with Nigerian heritage, was ruled out of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City two weeks ago, the first time he would miss a Premier League match since May 2021 against Newcastle, ending a run of 87 consecutive appearances, which was the longest ongoing run in the competition.
He was also not in the England squad during the international break but Arteta is hoping the 22-year-old wide forward will be able to feature tomorrow.
“He’s been working so hard to be fit for this game, so let’s see where he is at today,” Arteta said during his pre-match press conference today.
“He had a couple of days off that he needed, but the rest has not been rest for him because he needed to do the treatment and train to be ready for Chelsea.”
When asked if he would like to see Saka rested now England have qualified for Euro 2024, Arteta said: “I don’t know how they’ll approach it. When our players are fit, we are happy to let them go to the national teams, the players want to go. It is a great opportunity for them.
“Sometimes players feel better when playing every three or four days. They can get knocks, this is part of the game. I’m sure he wants to play [against Chelsea]. I don’t see any player that doesn’t want to be in the starting XI.”
Former Chelsea stars Jorginho and Kai Havertz will be returning to Stamford Bridge with Arsenal for the clash, and Arteta believes they are both up for the challenge.
“They talk highly of everyone at the club, it’ll be a special day for them,” he noted.
Although Arsenal are flying high in the Premier League table in second place, level on points with leaders Tottenham Hotspur, while Chelsea are 11th nine points adrift, Arteta still praised his opponents.
“It is a big game. I’ve been really impressed by them this season, it is different. They deserve more than what they have in the table. We’ll have to be at our best tomorrow,” he admitted.
On his approach, Arteta said: “I go game by game. Chelsea have a good squad, they are at home, we are in a good moment too. We will try and beat them and see what happens.”
