Report shares the likelihood of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka playing against Liverpool next weekend
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Liverpool have a big week of Premier League action with matches against Newcastle United and Arsenal to come.
The Reds have had to wait patiently for their turn after seeing 17 teams play two full games since their last outing.
But although that will have given Liverpool plenty of time to prepare on the training pitch, others have been building confidence by putting points on the board.
After coming in second again last season, Arsenal are expected to be one of Liverpool’s closest challengers for the Premier League title this term.
They have collected six points from six without conceding a goal so far.
An early test of their credentials comes on Sunday, when they head to Anfield to take on the champions.
After both went off injured during a win over Leeds United on Saturday, there had been fears that star men Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard could miss that game.
After scans for both players, an update has now been issued.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Odegaard looked to have come off with a shoulder problem against Leeds, while Saka’s issue seemed to potentially be hamstring related.
Mikel Arteta was downbeat on the injuries after the match, but the Arsenal boss is well known for playing needless mind games when it comes to fitness within his squad.
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And according to an update from The Athletic, Arteta may well have been at it again.
They report that scans show neither Odegaard nor Saka have sustained serious injuries following their withdrawals against Leeds.
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The problems are said to be ‘not as bad as first feared’ with neither player expected to face any significant amount of time on the sidelines.
Finally, The Athletic report that for the time being it remains ‘unclear’ whether either will play against Liverpool at the weekend.
With this news in the back pocket, Arne Slot will absolutely be preparing to face both Odegaard and Saka at Anfield.
Arteta will likely attempt to string the Liverpool head coach along in the press in the days leading up to the game, but Slot should be wise to his games.
At this stage, it would be a major surprise if either of the two players was not in Arsenal’s starting line-up.
Saka appeared the most likely to be missing, and the 23-year-old’s issues last term mean Gunners’ fans may be concerned heading into the game.
But we’d be stunned if either of these two players are not lining up on Sunday.