During Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United, Saka was taken off after 68 minutes and White has not played for them since the 3-1 victory over Manchester United.
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Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will be competing with each other in a massive top-four battle in the Premier League on Thursday night. For Arsenal, a win will guarantee them Champions League football next season. On the other hand, Spurs need the three points at home to keep their fading top-four hopes alive. The Gunners have 66 points from 35 games, while Tottenham have 62 from the same number of matches. Not to mention that the north London derby is a special clash in its own right. Having to play a match of this magnitude at the business end of the season means a lot more to both sides than just three points.
Ahead of the pulsating clash, Arsenal have question marks hanging over two of their main players – Bukayo Saka and Ben White. Saka has been an important player in their attack so far this season. Predominantly playing on the right-wing, he can also operate on the other flank. Meanwhile, White was brought in to be a centre-back, but has also played as a right-back. During Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United, Saka was taken off after 68 minutes and White has not played for them since the 3-1 victory over Manchester United at the end of last month.
In his press conference on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta gave the team news update before informing the situation about Saka and White. “Thomas (Partey) is still out, Kieran (Tierney) is out and with Ben, he is still a doubt. We have to assess him and see how he is feeling, which is much better, and Bukayo the same,” Arteta added. “It is very difficult to rate with injuries. It is just how they feel today. That’s the last day we can assess them.”
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If the duo is ruled out of Thursday’s derby then Arteta might have to rethink his starting line-up. Rob Holding has been doing a good job since being recalled into the team. He could partner Gabriel in the centre-back positions. Cedric Soares could then play on right and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the left of a back four. Up front Gabriel Martinelli could replace Saka on the right flank, or the manager could also use Nicolas Pepe there. Although the possibility of Martinelli starting is higher.
Arsenal can book the tickets to Champions League football for the first time since the 2016-17 season if they manage to beat Tottenham on Thursday night. A defeat will mathematically put the top four hopes beyond Spurs’ reach. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once famously said that qualifying for Champions League was “like winning a trophy”. “I have heard that quote now many times from many different managers and I think Arsene was the first one who said it because he could probably see what was happening in this league and the difficulty of achieving that,” Arteta said.
“I feel that, for the club, it will be extremely important. [This is] the most exciting game [as Arsenal boss], probably, but we had others when we played the finals against Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup and Community Shield. When you have the opportunity to achieve one of your objectives in the season, you can’t wait to play the game because this is a job and the work you have done throughout the season to try to earn it.
“The message is clear: if we win against them, we are in the Champions League next season. Not that they need any more motivation and to tell them other than that. The opportunity is there and we are going to play and go for it like we always do because it is how we have come into this position and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”
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