Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne & Kaya Kaynak

Mikel Arteta's six-word response hints at triple Arsenal injury boost ahead of Tottenham clash

Mikel Arteta has taken a familiar approach when discussing the latest Arsenal team news ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, the build-up to the big game on Saturday afternoon, well at least from an Gunners perspective, has largely centered around player availability. In particular, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu after they all returned from international duty earlier than expected.

Furthermore, there have been concerns over Oleksandr Zinchenko's fitness after he missed the 3-0 win against Brentford with a calf muscle problem, but worries about captain Martin Odegaard have subsided with the midfielder featuring in both of Norway's UEFA Nations League games.

READ MORE: Arsenal press conference LIVE: Mikel Arteta on Partey, injury crisis, Smith Rowe and Tottenham

There's more good news on the injury front with football.london reporting that Tierney is set to be available for the lunchtime kick-off at the Emirates Stadium and it's understood that Arsenal remain hopeful that Partey, Tomiyasu and Zinchenko can be involved against Tottenham.

As expected, Arteta was asked for an update regarding his squad when he faced the media in a pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon and whilst in typical fashion, he didn't give too much away, he did confirm the aforementioned players took part in a training session beforehand.

"We just finished the last training session," the Spaniard told reporters. "We had many players arriving yesterday we had a short period to prepare the match but the boys look in good condition."

With that said, "they are part of the team" was Arteta's six-word response when asked if Partey, Zinchenko and Tierney are fit and available for selection. This may fill Arsenal supporters with even more confidence that the trio will be able to take part in the huge game.

The three Arsenal players already ruled out of the North London Derby are Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares and Emile Smith Rowe. In the case of the latter, it was announced on Thursday that he had undergone surgery in an attempt to fix an ongoing groin issue and the hope is that he will return to training in December.

READ NEXT:

Thomas Partey fitness hope, Bukayo Saka future, Spurs injury blow, Arsenal vs Tottenham preview

Paul Merson and Chris Sutton agree on Arsenal vs Tottenham score prediction

Mikel Arteta can unleash Arsenal's own Kevin De Bruyne in North London Derby vs Tottenham

Antonio Conte plays Tottenham waiting game to avoid handing Arsenal North London Derby advantage

Gabriel Jesus explains key Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta difference in Arsenal title fight

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.