Mikel Arteta has ruled Gabriel Martinelli out of Arsenal’s trip to Turf Moor, confirming the Brazilian has not recovered from the groin problem sustained in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
William Saliba, meanwhile, remains a doubt after being forced off at half-time in the same match.
“Martinelli is still out. Saliba, we have to wait and see,” Arteta said on Friday, offering few details but suggesting neither issue is long term.
The forward limped through the last few minutes against Palace after coming on as a substitute and was clearly having trouble with his groin, while Saliba, who was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera, is reportedly having problems with the ankle he had issues with earlier in the season.
Asked about Martinelli’s return, Arteta added: “No, we don’t know yet, but I think this game is going to come too early for him.”
Arsenal’s injury list remains substantial, though that may not be the case for much longer.
Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard and Noni Madueke, all recovering from knee problems, are targeting returns after the international break. The club hope all three will be back in time for the North London derby.
“I would say weeks and some of them pretty soon hopefully if they keep evolving the way they are doing,” Arteta added. “It’s difficult to put a game, you know that we have the international break, which is a two-week break there, and after that I think we’ll have some back.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be all of them, some of them, but we’ll be quite close by then.
“I’m excited because they are tremendous players. I see them work every single day, how desperate they are to be part of the team, the huge boost that is going to be for the squad to have those players again after such a long, long time. I’m really happy that I think it’s going to be very soon.”
Gabriel Jesus, sidelined since undergoing ACL surgery at the start of the year, is in the final phase of his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin full training in December.
Despite the absences, Arsenal are top of the Premier League table with 22 points from nine games, and are unbeaten in their last 11 league visits to Turf Moor. Their last league defeat there came more than half a century ago, in December 1973.
Burnley, by contrast, will be without Zeki Amdouni, Connor Roberts and Jordan Beyer, all of whom remain out with long-term injuries.
Head coach Scott Parker admitted the setbacks were significant, but backed his side to make life difficult for the Gunners. “We’re at home and our stadium has been a fortress for us,” he said.
“We’ve made Turf Moor a really tough place for teams to come and play, and the fans have played a massive part in that. We need to make it exactly like that again this weekend.”
Parker also dismissed suggestions that Arsenal’s success is overly reliant on set pieces, insisting that Arteta’s side are one of the best-drilled in Europe. “You can’t say they just totally rely on set-plays,” he said.
“They’ve had key moments so far this season where they’ve got wins from set-pieces, but they’re an exceptional, well-oiled machine. They’re just an overall top, top side.”
Arsenal travel to Lancashire looking to extend their wining run to nine matches, and their unbeaten run to 12, in all competitions, with the focus on maintaining momentum heading into a demanding November that sees them face Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea in seven days at the end of the month.