Mikel Arteta receive huge boost ahead of London derby with Chelsea set to have three important players potentially unavailable for Arsenal clash
Chelsea are still missing three players due to injuries ahead of their Saturday match against Arsenal.
Arsenal will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend, with both teams racing against the clock to ensure that key players are available.
The Gunners are concerned about the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey, who are still recovering from recent injuries, while the Blues are also dealing with injury issues.
Arsenal enters the game unbeaten in the Premier League, having won six and drawn two of their first eight games. Following their victory over Manchester City before the international break, Mikel Arteta’s side will be full of confidence when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea’s start to the season has been mixed, with three victories, two draws, and three losses in their first eight league games. However, they have won the last two games, indicating that they are finding their feet under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Reece James has not played for the Blues since the opening day of the season due to a hamstring injury. According to reports, he’s made significant progress in his rehabilitation during the international break, but it’s too soon to know if he’ll be eligible for the encounter.
Similarly, Benoit Badiashile is nearing his comeback from injury and is scheduled to undergo a late fitness test before the encounter on Saturday.
Another piece of good news for Chelsea is that Malo Gusto will return from suspension for the encounter against Arsenal this weekend, giving Pochettino another option if Reece James is deemed unfit to play.
Cole Palmer suffered a minor injury while playing for England U21s during the international break.
“I think Cole would be fine,” England u21 coach Lee Carsley said of Cole Palmer. We, on the other hand, do not take any chances with any of the players.
“If there’s a chance they’ll miss a game at the weekend, we get them back to the clubs as soon as possible.” We could have left Cole here another day to see how things went, but we didn’t believe it was appropriate.”
Chelsea is also without a number of long-term injured players, including Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, and Romeo Lavia.
