Arteta offers clear answer on whether Saka and Martinelli will be available for Arsenal’s Boxing Day game against West Ham
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expects to have Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli available for the team's Boxing Day Premier League clash.
The Gunners will take on London rivals West Ham United on Monday, December 26, at the Emirates Stadium. It will be their first official contest since November 12 when they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at the Molineux.
Saka and Martinelli notably played key roles for England and Brazil, respectively, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as both teams made the quarterfinals. With their teams not playing in the final week of the tournament, Arteta expects them to be available for the match against West Ham.
When asked about the duo potentially missing the game, the Arsenal manager said (as quoted by football.london):
"No, I don’t have any concerns. They have assessed really well and they will be training for us in the next few days so hopefully, they will be ready."
Our brave Gunners bow out ❤️ https://t.co/68czuyXMnu
Saka started four of England's five matches in Qatar, recording three goals and two assists. Martinelli, meanwhile, got only 108 minutes on the pitch for Brazil and could not record any goal contributions, but displayed flashes of his talent and ability.
Both players were key to Arsenal establishing a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table prior to the World Cup. Saka had four goals and six assists, while Martinelli netted five times and assisted twice in 14 matches apiece.
Arsenal have a few injury concerns ahead of West Ham United clash
Mikel Arteta's positivity with respect to the involvement of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on Boxing Day will be music to the ears of Arsenal fans. As per the aforementioned football.london report, the Gunners are set to be without quite a few players for the match against West Ham United.
The biggest name on their injury list is Gabriel Jesus, who sustained a knee injury while playing for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and had to undergo surgery. He is expected to be out until February.
🗞 Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee 👇
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko is said to be nursing a calf injury, while Emile Smith Rowe is yet to return after suffering a groin injury back in September. Takehiro Tomiyasu, who was part of Japan's incredible run to the World Cup's Round of 16, reportedly picked up a hamstring injury during the tournament.
Lastly, Reiss Nelson had to come off the pitch just 23 minutes into Arsenal's 2-0 friendly loss to Juventus on 17 December. Arteta stated that they are yet to find out the extent of the injury (via football.london), but he could also miss their clash against West Ham.