Likely Arsenal line-up for crunch Liverpool clash amid Gunners' injury crisis

Arsenal brag Mikel Arteta is sweating connected the fittingness of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori this play - with Martin Odegaard decidedly retired - arsenic helium bids to get a effect against rubric rivals Liverpool

Arsenal are gearing up for 1 of the biggest games of their play astatine location to Liverpool connected Sunday afternoon, with Mikel Arteta preparing to sanction his starting XI amid a drawstring of injuries.

The Gunners could beryllium without 5 cardinal players arsenic they hole to invited the Reds to the Emirates, with the suspended William Saliba adding to their database of absentees aft his sending disconnected against Bournemouth past week.

Arteta is sweating connected the fittingness of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori this play - with Martin Odegaard decidedly retired - arsenic helium bids to get a effect against rubric rivals Liverpool - who apical the Premier League array and pb them by 4 points.

The Spanish brag said helium was hoping to person Saka, Timber and Calafiori disposable this play but added their advancement was "very, precise uncertain" and said it would beryllium a touch-and-go concern earlier footwear off.

"We are going to bash our precise champion to someway person them available. But it's very, precise uncertain," Arteta told reporters astatine his pre-match property conference. On Calafiori, helium said: "He needs immoderate much tests, yesterday helium had immoderate and contiguous helium volition person immoderate more. Let's spot however it is."

Wiith Calafiori going disconnected with a genu contented successful Arsenal's 1-0 triumph implicit Shakhtar Donetsk successful midweek, Arteta has an contented astatine left-back and is apt to reconstruct Oleksandr Zinchenko to his starting XI.

However, Arteta could opt to instrumentality a hazard and tract Timber alongside Gabriel successful the centre of defence to guarantee helium has a coagulated back-line - with his lone different enactment being to play Jakub Kiwior.

Thomas Partey and Declan Rice are acceptable to resume their midfield partnership, with Mikel Merino staying successful the No 10 relation arsenic Martin Odegaard continues to miss retired done injury, but the winger spots volition beryllium the astir troublesome.

Saka hasn't played since the commencement of the period aft coming disconnected successful England's 2-1 location nonaccomplishment to Greece aft picking up a hamstring wounded and having taken portion successful grooming this week, Arteta whitethorn alternatively take to play him implicit Leandro Trossard alternatively of Raheem Sterling.

Arteta said: "[Saka] has done a spot of grooming connected the grass. How acold we tin get him earlier Sunday, that's different question. We person different day, that's a bully thing. But we volition see."

Elsewhere, Kai Havertz volition pb the enactment arsenic the Gunners effort to wounded a Liverpool defence that has lone fto successful 3 goals truthful acold this season.

Possible Arsenal line-up: Raya; White, Gabriel, Timber, Zinchenko; Partey, Rice, Merino; Saka, Martinelli, Havertz

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