Arsenal head to West Ham with their squad in strong shape and the Premier League title now within sight, though Mikel Arteta will still be without two players this weekend.
Arsenal head to West Ham this weekend knowing that three points would leave them just two games away from winning the Premier League title, and they do so with their squad perhaps in its best shape of the season.
Against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta welcomed Martin Odegaard (knee) and Kai Havertz (groin) back into the squad.
That leaves just two players with injury concerns, Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber.
Merino is closing in on a return to playing but there are still doubts over what that means. He is hoping to return this month, although reporting in Spain still places a question mark over his fitness for the World Cup, so it remains very much a wait-and-see situation.
Timber has missed the last 11 games with a groin issue of his own. Speaking at the end of April, Arteta told reporters, “We don’t know yet [when he will be back]. He’s doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment, but we need to get the gears up and be able to do more things before he can compete with us.” That has been interpreted by some journalists as his season being at risk, although that is hardly a major leap given how few games remain.
Asked about both players, Arteta told reporters, “No chance for the weekend. There’s still a fair bit to do [in their recoveries].”
Asked if we would see them again this season, he said, “Everything has to be so smooth and quick if they want to have a chance to play any minutes [this season].”
That does not sound optimistic.
He also added that Timber was not expected to be out this long. “That’s been probably the most difficult thing to manage with the player, with myself as well,” Arteta said.
“We didn’t expect it to take so long, and at the moment, he’s not fit to play.”
Arteta also added there were “No [fresh concerns], nothing to add.”
West Ham, meanwhile, have only one confirmed absentee as they fight to avoid relegation.
“Everybody is OK, which is good. It’s good for us that everyone is healthy,” Nuno Espirito Santo told reporters.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been sidelined with a back injury since September and there is still no clear return date.
Now 41, he appears increasingly unlikely to play again, which would bring a sad end to a long career.
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