Bukayo Saka wants to play against Chelsea and has been working hard to be fit for the game, according to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal are set to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and one of the big questions ahead of the game is whether star winger Bukayo Saka will be fit for the contest.

After picking up an injury against RC Lens in the Champions League, Saka went on to miss Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City and England’s two matches over the international break.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Mikel Arteta suggested there’s no lack of desire from Saka to make his comeback this weekend.

“He’s been working so hard to be fit for this game,” Arteta said (via Charles Watts and Football Daily). “Let’s see where he is today.

“He had a couple of days that he needed as well, but the rest has not been rest for him because he needed to do the treatment and train to be ready for Chelsea.

“I’m sure he wants to play, yes. I don’t see any player there that doesn’t want to be in the starting XI.”

On Saka’s fitness more generally, Arteta argued it’s a balancing act. The Spaniard believes top players need to play every few days, but it’s up to Arsenal to ensure they aren’t overplaying the 22-year-old.

“Yeah, it’s our responsibility to monitor them,” Arteta said. “It’s also about the relationship to the data and the way they train.

“Sometimes we want to play them but when we have them three hours on the field in training it doesn’t help. If you want to be a top, top player you have to play every three days and play 65-70 games.

“We have to play him when we see him in the right condition mentally and physically. He needs to be performing as well.”

It’s no real surprise that Arteta isn’t giving a definitive answer on Saka’s fitness, after the club seemed to go to such great lengths to keep Manchester City guessing in the build-up to that game.

We’ll likely need to wait until the lineups are released to know for sure whether the winger will be playing.