Arsenal defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori have been ruled out of Thursday's Premier League clash with Liverpool, but Kai Havertz could return after a lengthy injury layoff.
Mikel Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that neither Mosquera nor Calafiori is available. 'No. They're out again,' the Arsenal manager said. 'I think pretty soon [they will return]. They have to go through the last stage of the rehab, and if everything goes well, hopefully soon they will be available for selection.'
Havertz, 26, has not played since suffering a knee injury in August. He was on the bench for last week's win over Aston Villa but was left out of the squad for the Bournemouth match. Arteta said Havertz trained on Wednesday morning and is close to a return. 'We are monitoring his load,' Arteta added. 'He's been out for a long time for two different reasons. He's very close. Hopefully we're going to have him available and the best version of himself.'
Liverpool are one of only two teams to have beaten Arsenal this season, and Arteta believes his side have a 'point to prove'. 'Excited. It's a massive game against the champions of the last Premier League,' he said. 'We have a point to prove. We're going to have our crowd creating an amazing atmosphere... We are top of the table, we play at home against a really good opponent. We want to maintain our position. To do that we're going to have to be excellent throughout the game.'
Arteta also praised Liverpool manager Arne Slot, saying: 'Liverpool have a great manager. They have a sensational structural understanding of what they have to do.'
