Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were both absent from training on Monday, according to the Evening Standard.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference before the session, Arteta said he was hopeful that Saka would be involved after recovering from a hamstring injury:

“With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and the transition that we have later on.”

It’s clear that Saka won’t be playing against Shakthtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and it does raise question marks about whether he will return for Sunday’s clash against Liverpool at the Emirates.

What’s happening with Timber?

The Dutch defender is in a pretty similar situation to Saka. Arteta has revealed that he is “pretty close” to making his comeback, but he didn’t take part in training either.

Timber has a muscular problem that has kept him from playing since the 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the start of this month.

The fullback was forced off at half-time during that fixture, with Jakub Kiwior replacing him after the interval.

Arsenal have 3 other injured players

Takehiro Tomiyasu has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury. The Japanese international has been sidelined since pre-season and hasn’t played at all this campaign.

Speaking before the defeat to Bournemouth, Arteta confirmed that the right-back is still unavailable, although the club are hopeful that it won’t be long before he’s back in action.

Martin Odegaard is on course to make his return from an ankle injury in November. The Norwegian has not played since the September international break.

Kieran Tierney also remains on the treatment table. The left-back has been out of contention since late June with a hamstring injury that he sustained whilst playing for Scotland at Euro 2024.

Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here