There has been a lot of talk regarding Arsenal’s team news ahead of the blockbuster clash with Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta is keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of the fixture, as expected from the Spaniard.
While it’s understood that Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard will miss out due to injury, there remains hope over the availability of Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber.
The duo have been out of action as a result of muscular injuries although, there’s some optimism that Arteta might have a trick up his sleeve when it comes to the Arsenal pair.
Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka spotted ahead of Liverpool clash
Both Timber and Saka have been away from the action in the build up to the game, with neither spotted in training ahead of the clash.
Since the pair have been unavailable, Arsenal’s threat on the right side has dropped significantly, emphasising the blow that Arteta has to deal with if neither are fit for Liverpool.
There was a boost however as despite Timber and Saka not being in training, both players were spotted at Arsenal’s team hotel before the fixture.
A fan took photos of the Englishman and the Netherlands international walking with the squad in Arsenal tracksuits, indicating that Arteta could utilise them in some way against the Reds.
In what would be a significant boost for the Gunners, fans reacted to the surprise however, not everyone was happy to see the update.
Arsenal fans react to Timber and Saka news
“We need to stop leaking our team squad for a few likes as we can see the manager is trying really hard to keep it secret,” one concerned supporter said.
Premier League managers have sussed out Arteta when it comes to keeping the media on their toes regarding team news although, fans expected fellow supporters to share the boss’ secretive approach.
“Arteta will spend the whole week trying to hide information only for you people to leak everything,” a fan said on X in response to the photos being leaked.
Questions continued to be asked on the matter, with one supporter saying, “Why would you leak this knowing it could have caught out Liverpool. Now they will know our secret.”
“Why post this as an Arsenal fan?” a frustrated fan asked, “Are you wiser than Arteta who keeps it a secret?”
Understandably, Arsenal supporters weren’t just angered at the way the news was broken, as many revealed their excitement at the prospect of having Timber and Saka fit.
“I got my joy back,” one fan said, while another questioned what Arteta is plotting behind the scenes, “What’s Arteta cooking???”
The subject of the ‘dark arts’ cropped up again, with a supporter saying, “Dark arts fc doing the dark moves.”
Away from the mind games that Arteta is playing, a fan put full focus on what the duo’s availability could mean for Liverpool.
“Let’s hope both are able to start and have blinders,” the supporter said, a wish shared by all.
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