ARSENAL could be without Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice against Bournemouth as Mikel Arteta faces a mini injury crisis.
The Gunners are looking to respond to their North London Derby draw with their fourth away win of the season.
But they face a few obstacles with injuries to key men in every area of the squad – from defence to attack.
Arteta confirmed several players have not trained all week, with some not selected against Brentford in the Carabao Cup in mid-week due to fitness issues – including Saka and William Saliba.
The Arsenal boss said: “Declan [Rice] hasn’t trained yet, we have a session in an hour, we’ll get more news about him.
“Gabi [Martinelli] hasn’t trained, Leo [Trossard] same situation, Saka, same.
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“They are all in the same pool, Willy [Saliba] had a knock, Fabio [Vieira] wasn’t involved. We have to assess them today.”
Rice was substituted at half-time against Tottenham after reportedly experiencing a back spasm.
To make matters worse for Arsenal his natural replacement, Thomas Partey, is also injured and not expected back until October 21.
Arteta has a similar problem in attack with Saka and Gabriel Martinelli picking up knocks last time out.
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Leandro Trossard, who would normally be brought in to deputise for that pair, has a hamstring issue.
That means Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah will likely start in attack, while the team could be reliant on captain Odegaard to produce the creativity needed to win the match.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
