Arteta confirmed that Arsenal’s loss to Crystal Palace would officially crown Liverpool as the Premier League champions for this season, but he emphasized that his team’s focus is entirely on winning the match, stating: “Our motivation is to win our match and do our utmost to continue our current winning streak; the rest is beyond our control.”
Arteta also discussed the condition of Bukayo Saka, who suffered an injury in the last round against Ipswich Town, raising concerns within the team. The Spanish coach said: “We have to wait and see how he reacts after the training session, but his injury is not serious; I believe he has a good chance of playing tomorrow.”
He added that players Ricardo Calafiori and Jorginho will not participate in the match, confirming that Jorginho will be out for a few weeks due to his injury.
Arteta also focused on the impact of the break period leading up to the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, saying: “We have more days to prepare, but the options available to us are not many due to the presence of new players and their minutes played. It is good to have a small time difference because we are suffering from a significant shortage of players.”
Regarding the possibility of resting Saka in preparation for the Paris Saint-Germain match, Arteta pointed out that it is not possible to think about resting players before an important match: “When players are ready and willing to play, they must play; they are at their best when they play and maintain their performance consistency.”
Arteta concluded his statements by saying: “There is no room for discussion if they are not ready; if they are not in good condition to perform, we will not involve them, but if they are ready, we will include them.”
