“Not a lot” – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains coy about team news ahead of Chelsea clash
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to divulge much information about the injuries in his squad ahead of their clash against Chelsea on Saturday, October 21.
The Gunners face their London rivals at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday in their first clash after the international break. They're coming off a 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Emirates in their last game.
Arsenal's star winger Bukayo Saka missed the game due to an injury while Thomas Partey returned to action against City. In a pre-match press conference ahead of their clash against Chelsea, Arteta said about his squad (via Football.London):
"Not a lot. We haven’t had a lot of players. We’re going to do our first training session today and we’ll know more after the session."
Arsenal are unbeaten in the Premier League this season and are second in the table, behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur on goals scored.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are 11th with three wins, three defeats and two draws. They have, however, won their last three games across competitions.
Mikel Arteta has had an excellent record against the Blues since becoming the Gunners manager in 2019. He has won six of their last nine meetings, including both fixtures last season.
Chelsea hoping to dent Arsenal's title challenge in London derby
The Blues finished 12th last season and were expected to bounce back this season after spending around €400 million in the summer under Mauricio Pochettino. However, they had a terrible start to the campaign and lie in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Chelsea have also been severely affected by injuries to key players like captain Reece James, Christopher Nkunku and Ben Chilwell. However, they have found some winning off late.
They will look to continue their winning momentum on Saturday when they welcome London rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have lost just one of their 11 games across competitions this season - a 2-1 defeat at RC Lens in the UEFA Champions League.
They beat title rivals Manchester City in their last game and will look to continue to push forward in their title challenge.