Mikel Arteta’s injury record continues to worsen as Arsenal gets ready for Saturday’s Premier League visit to Burnley. The 2–0 triumph over Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, on the other hand, gave the Gunners some respite while also emphasizes the club’s injuries issues. Saliba, Martinelli, and Odegaard were once again sidelined.
While Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka took over the spotlight in midweek, the duo scored the two goals for the winning; the attention is now on the missing senior stars.
Saliba and Martinelli remain under assessment
Before Arteta chose to take William Saliba off, the French clasp, who is typically silent and encouraging, demonstrated no such indicators of trouble. The manager also stated that the defender is undergoing medical examination, adding: “He is out. We are evaluating him, but he won’t be able to participate in this game” ahead of the clash with Brighton.
Saliba’s absence in midweek implies caution rather than crisis, although the Arsenal defensive balance is still largely linked to him. Arsenal haven’t set a new return date, which puts his chances of featuring against Burnley in doubt. Arsenal will be in no rush with his return, given the tougher fixtures in November.
Gabriel Martinelli’s situation is just as worrying. The Brazilian winger arrived on the bench in the Palace match and was later seen limping down the tunnel. Arteta as well confirmed the discomfort: “Yeah, it looks as well that he is going to be out. We have to again do some more tests and see the extent of the injury, but this game is going to be early for him.”
Odegaard recovery moving in the right direction
Meanwhile, club captain Martin Odegaard continues to be an absentee due to a knee injury, although he has already demonstrated good signals in training. Mikel confirmed that they have “no date yet” about when he will return, but overall, he is in “really good” form. He added, “They are starting to do certain activities. They are super willing to be available as quick as possible. But at the moment, none of them are in contention in the next week or so.”
Odegaard is aiming for a return post-international break, making the game against Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November a best-case scenario. The Arsenals is still struggling with creativity throughout the centre of the pitch, but overcame by the regulars of Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe, who were usually replaced during cups rotations.
Updates on Rice, Saka, Calafiori, Havertz, Madueke, and Jesus
Declan Rice offered a boost by returning off the bench against Brighton just days after limping off versus Palace. Arteta confirmed, “He’ll be available,” meaning no lasting concerns for the England international.
Saka, who suffered a illness last time out, made appearances, while also scoring in a dominant Carabao Cup victory, and the same is true for him. Calafiori skipped Wednesday’s game but fully recovered from the minor injury he picked up over the weekend and joined the substitutes’ bench.
Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus are out for longer, but all three are making good progress to be back at some point in November. Jesus, recovering from a knee injury sustained in January, recently revealed he’s feeling “great” but isn’t rushing his final phase of recovery.
Author’s View
But with the fixture list getting fuller, Arteta must adapt the usual balancing act between caution and competition. Arsenal’s bench has handled the situation so far, but losing both Saliba and Martinelli would unsettle any team. The upcoming Burnley clash could see more academy involvement if both remain sidelined.
So, the message from London Colney for now — no need for panic, but plenty of patience. Arsenal is planning to recover key names by mid-November in the hope of a more robust push ahead of the busy festive period.
