Arsenal suffers third injury blow ahead of Liverpool showdown

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Liverpool prepare for a blockbuster Premier League showdown with Arsenal this Sunday, but both sides head into the fixture under some injury clouds.

The Reds welcomed back young full-back Connor Bradley from the bench in Monday’s dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle, offering a welcome boost to Arne Slot’s defensive options with Jeremie Frimpong still out until after the upcoming international break.

However, Slot will be wary of over-stretching his squad ahead of back-to-back challenges.

Alexis Mac Allister was omitted from the squad after suffering a fitness setback in training.

The Dutch manager hopes that the No.10 will be fit to face the Gunners:

“We are hoping [he will be available], yes,” Slot said after the win over Newcastle United.

“He had to leave the training pitch two days ago and that would not even be the biggest problem if he would have had a proper pre-season, but he missed out for so many weeks.”

Arsenal, meanwhile, face their own selection headache.

Bukayo Saka has already been ruled out of the Anfield clash after he picked up a hamstring injury in Arsenal’s 5-0 hammering of Leeds United.

The BBC confirmed that the Arsenal star will miss up to four weeks.

Martin Odegaard is also doubtful for the match at Anfield as a result of a shoulder injury suffered, also against Leeds.

The Norway international left the Emirates in a sling over the weekend but has not been ruled out to face Liverpool just yet.

And the bad news for Mikel Arteta does not stop there.

The Guardian has reported that forward Kai Havertz has been ruled out of the Liverpool clash as well.

A decision has to be made on whether the German international needs to undergo knee surgery after he picked up an issue against Manchester United on the opening day.

Rudi Völler, the director of the men’s national team at the German Football Federation, has confirmed that Havertz will be absent from their World Cup qualifying matches against Slovakia and Northern Ireland.

He also stated that surgery might still be necessary for the 26-year-old:

“He certainly won’t make it, he has a knee injury,” Völler said.

“We don’t know exactly how it will go in the coming weeks, whether surgery is upcoming or it will be treated conservatively.”

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