Mikel Arteta confirms injury boost for Bukayo Saka ahead of West Ham game
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Bukayo Saka has been recovering and he could be available for the Premier League derby against West Ham United on Sunday.
The Gunners have had a good start to the New Year with three straight league wins. They have beaten Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool during this run.
Against the Reds, the club were dominant from the off. Jurgen Klopp’s side got outplayed and managed just one shot on target as they suffered a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates.
Arsenal will be aiming to continue the winning streak at the London Stadium and ahead of the game, the manager has confirmed an injury boost with Saka in contention.
He told reporters: “Yes again he’s been recovering this week and he looks okay.”
Saka has had another fantastic season with the club. The Englishman has registered an impressive tally of 11 goals and 13 assists from 30 appearances across all competitions.
The 22-year-old had a lean patch in the month of December, but looks to be back at his best. Arsenal fans will be glad that his knock against Liverpool was only a minor one.
The club graduate was spotted working with his teammates on an exercise bike yesterday and it won’t be a surprise if he makes the starting line-up for the London derby.
Arsenal are currently two points behind Liverpool for the top spot in the standings. They need to keep on winning to put the pressure on both the Reds and Manchester City.
The Gunners were on the wrong side of a 2-0 loss to the Hammers at home back in December. They had 30 shots but could not find the net after missing five big chances.
As a result, they are winless in their last three meetings against David Moyes’ side and will be aiming to put things right with a victory at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Aside from Saka, the club will be hoping to have the services of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.
Zinchenko was taken off at half-time versus Liverpool with an untimely injury while Jesus did not make the squad altogether after a fresh knee concern in training.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
