Arsenal injury latest ahead of Liverpool after updates on 6 possible absentees

Mikel Arteta is when they clash with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, despite grappling with injury woes. are looking to recover from their recent 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, which halted their unbeaten run last Saturday.

Although they secured a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League midweek, it wasn't without cost. Riccardo Calafiori limped off the pitch,

To add to Arteta's concerns, William Saliba is set to miss the Liverpool game due to a suspension earned from a red card at Bournemouth.

Arteta remained optimistic during his post-Shakhtar press conference, saying: "We'll review, have a day off, then two days to prepare the game," and reassured fans that by Sunday, the team will be ready. However, the injuries certainly give the Gunners boss plenty to ponder.

A closer look at the situation reveals Bukayo Saka, who was spotted in the stands rather than on the pitch against Shakhtar, is recovering from an injury sustained while on duty with England, causing him to miss both the Bournemouth and Shakhtar fixtures.

While the issue with Saka isn't considered severe, and initial reports were optimistic, Arteta's recent comments suggest a less hopeful situation. Speaking about Saka's chances of playing against Liverpool, Arteta said: "At the moment I'm not very hopeful. Let's see. We still have a few days."

Post-match, his words to Amazon were no more reassuring: "Saka is not training yet so he won't be available." With three goals and seven assists this season, Saka's absence would be keenly felt by Arsenal.

Martin Odegaard, meanwhile, won't make it for the Liverpool match, but he's been positive about his recovery from an ankle injury, sharing in the programme notes for the Shakhtar game: "I've been working very hard on my recovery in the past few weeks, and missing out on big Champions League nights like this just makes me more determined and motivated to get back as soon as possible."

"I'm feeling better and better each day, but when it's an ankle injury you have ups and downs as well. Some days you feel really good, and then sometimes you can have a little reaction. But in general it's getting better and I feel like I'm getting closer now.

"I've been doing a lot of work in the gym, and was on an anti-gravity treadmill recently, which is really good because it takes the weight off. Especially at the beginning, that was really good, to be running again like that when you've been offloading the leg and not using it as much as normal. That was a good feeling, helping me get back to moving in a normal way, and being able to run after not being able to do that."

Arteta had previously expressed his confidence that Odegaard would return before the November international break, with the player having been out since September 9 due to an ankle injury incurred while on duty with Norway.

Riccardo Calafiori's fitness concerns grew when he had to leave the pitch in the 72nd minute against Shakhtar, dealing with what appeared to be a knee issue. The Italian international will undergo further assessment by Arsenal's medical team.

After the 1-0 win, Arteta shared with Amazon, "Ricci felt something and could not stay on," adding, "Bit of a worry. With Ricci he had to come off because he felt something. I don't know the extent of it so in that sense not great news."

Ben White was replaced at the interval during the Shakhtar game, leading to speculation about an injury surfaced, yet Arteta clarified the situation. He said: "Ben, it was my decision to take him out. He had a yellow card and we've played enough with 10 men in recent periods. They had a lot of density on that side, a lot of players on that side, so I didn't want to take any chances there."

Jurrien Timber hasn't featured for his team since their 2-0 victory over PSG on October 1. Although hopes were high for his return post-international break, he's remained absent for matches against Bournemouth and Shakhtar.

Mikel Arteta provided an update on Monday, revealing: "It is going to be close. We have to see how he deals with training with the whole group. But he is pretty close."

Thus, it appears Timber might make a comeback for the Liverpool fixture. . Takehiro Tomiyasu faced another hurdle with a knee injury originally incurred during pre-season. After briefly returning against Southampton, he's unfortunately been sidelined again with aggravation.