Riccardo Calafiori could return for Arsenal against Manchester City this weekend, but Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber’s situations are less clear, according to a report.
Ryan Taylor reports for the Mirror that sources close to Riccardo Calafiori have indicated he has a chance to returning to the Arsenal team against Manchester City this weekend, following his recent knock.
The news is less positive with Bukayo Saka, with the player reportedly “facing an uphill battle” to prove his fitness in time. Taylor reveals that Saka’s issue is believed to be Achilles tendinopathy, and Arsenal don’t want to rush his return and lose him for the season.
Taylor doesn’t rule Saka out of the City game completely, but it would require progress and a return to training over the coming days.
As for Jurrien Timber, the situation is unclear, with the report quoting the Arsenal right-back as saying he’s “recovering”, but “can’t say” whether or not he’ll be back from his groin injury against City. Timber added: “We’ll see.”
With Mikel Arteta and the players themselves refusing to say anything conclusive, there’s going to be a fair amount of guesswork at which members of the team will be available for Sunday’s game.
Martin Odegaard’s situation is also unclear, though Norway boss Stale Solbakken said last week that Odegaard should be back on the pitch “in the not-too-distant future”. It’s not impossible that could mean this weekend.
Mikel Merino will certainly miss the match, but that’s about all that can be said for certain at this stage.
The next couple of days may bring some updates in the form of training photos and Arteta’s press conference, but it’s not worth holding your breath for anything other than the official team news on Sunday.