Arsenal news: Gunners given updates on Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori injuries
Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of a number of first-team stars as they prepare to welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium for a huge Premier League clash
by Tom Victor · The MirrorArsenal have a huge match against Liverpool on the horizon, and plenty of injury worries to deal with.
The Gunners sit four points adrift of Sunday's opponents, with Manchester City separating the pair. With City at home to winless Southampton on Saturday, defeat for Mikel Arteta's men could leave them playing catch-up to not one but two title rivals.
William Saliba will miss the game through suspension, while a number of his team-mates are doubts through injury. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber all missed the midweek victory over Shakhtar, with Riccardo Calafiori picking up an injury against the Ukrainian side.
Arteta's pre-match press conference should provide a stronger idea of who will be available on Sunday, but there have already been a few rumblings. Here, Mirror Football provides you with all the latest from North London.
Norway boss offers Odegaard hope
Norway manager Stale Solbakken anticipates Martin Odegaard being available for the November international break. The midfielder - who captains Arsenal and Norway - has not played since picking up an ankle injury in action for his country in September.
"Everything indicates that (Odegaard's injury) is going according to plan, then it is about the last steps when you are going to train with opponents and at team training," Solbakken told Verdens Gang. "It depends on how he responds to it, but we have a justified hope that he is ready.
"I've spoken to him quite regularly. Now that it's starting to progress, it's easier, but it’s not fun to be injured. At the same time, he has been very little injured, so it is probably a training matter for him."
Extent of Calafiori injury emerges
Mirror Football understand Riccardo Calafiori is poised to miss a number of weeks with the injury he sustained against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Italian was withdraw 20 minutes from time, with youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly finishing the game at left-back.
There had initially been fears the summer signing could be in line for an ever lengthier absence. He is understood to have only minor damage to his medial knee ligament, though, and that often means weeks rather than months.
Who should replace Riccardo Calafiori if he's unavailable on Sunday? Have your say in the comments section
While the news could have been worse, the ex-Bologna man is still unlikely to be available against Liverpool on Sunday. With William Saliba suspended and Jurrien Timber a doubt, Arteta could be left with some big decisions.
Liverpool star makes pre-Arsenal title claim
Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas thinks it's too early to make any predictions about the title race. This is despite his team having a chance to move seven points clear of Arsenal with a win on Sunday.
Tsimikas and his team-mates sat top of the Premier League at the end of March last season. They fell away in the final few weeks of the campaign, though, eventually finishing nine points adrift of champions Manchester City and seven below runners-up Arsenal, showing how quickly things can change.
“Game by game we have to win to take the three points and to play good football," the Greek international said. "That’s important for the team right now. It’s too early to speak about [title challenges]. We set our goals from the start of the season, we want to go for everything.”
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