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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta dropped an update on injured attacker Bukayo Saka ahead of the EFL Cup semi-final second-leg clash with Chelsea at the Emirates on Tuesday, February 3.
Mikel Arteta opens up on Bukayo Saka's fitness
The Gunners lead the tie 3-2 on aggregate after their first-leg win at Stamford Bridge last month, even after Alejandro Garnacho brace, strikes Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi means Arteta's side are on the ascendancy ahead of the concluding leg at the Emirates this week.
However, Saka's presence for the game seems unlikely after the Englishman had picked up a hip injury during a practice session ahead of the 4-0 Premier League win at Leeds United at the weekend.
"We have to wait," Arteta said about Saka in his pre-match presser (as per Football London). "Today he was better, but we have to see how he responds and make a decision. It doesn't look like something too serious, whether he's available for tomorrow or the weekend we will see."
The Gunners manager had said about Saka before the Leeds game:
"We don't know yet. He (Saka) had a little niggle in the warm up and was uncomfortable to start the game, so we had to make that change straight away with (Noni Madueke).
In the aforementioned Leeds game, Madueke - who featured in place of Saka - and three other scorers meant that the Gunners closed the weekend with a comfortable six-point lead atop the Premier League summit after 24 games.
Mikel Arteta previews Chelsea clash
Arsenal boss Chelsea Mikel Arteta acknowledged the quality of Chelsea's attack ahead of the two sides' midweek game in north London for a place in the EFL Cup next month.
The Gunners made it two wins out of two clashes across competitions - trouncing Leeds in the Premier League at the weekend after defeating Kairat at home in their final UEFA Champions League league stage game to top the standings. Meanwhile, the Blues also followed up a midweek Champions League win (at Napoli) by defeating the 10-man West Ham United 3-2 at home in the league.
"We go day by day and competition by competition," Arteta said (as per the BBC). "Tomorrow we have the home advantage, but we have a lot to do to beat a really good Chelsea side. Every team has their own things.
"The tie has a context, a very specific one. We need to make it very concrete to win it. The next one is the most important one, and it's the closest, to reach a final. With our people we need to create the energy and the atmosphere."
Arsenal are aiming to win the EFL Cup for the third time, having won it more than three decades ago.
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