Seven players are set to miss the Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are ruled out for the Gunners, while City's Rodri and Jack Grealish are also absent.
Arsenal's defensive woes
Saliba has been ruled out after his World Cup campaign was cut short by a long-term back problem, which will keep him on the treatment table for a prolonged spell. Timber has been managing a groin complaint since March, and it proved serious enough to rule him out of the World Cup, despite making a comeback in the closing stages of Arsenal's title-winning campaign, in which they came up short in the Champions League.
"Jurrien is progressing really well, he's on the pitch," Arteta said. "We are ramping up now certain actions and especially the volume and the load. And I think he's in a good trajectory but there's still a few weeks to go."
"I don't know [if he will be back before international break], we have to wait and see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there."
"It's been a long-term issue right now and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one. He feels right to do that and it's such an important thing for us."
City's absentees
Rodri made his return to England this week following Spain's exploits, though the Man City midfielder required minor back surgery in the aftermath of Luis de la Fuente's side making history. The Spaniard's long-term future in the North West remains uncertain, with Barcelona seemingly poised to intensify their pursuit, though this weekend will arrive too soon for the 30-year-old.
Jack Grealish is another City stalwart whose future hangs in the balance following his loan stint at Everton last season. A foot injury, however, cut short his time with the Toffees and he has spent time since recovering from the problem. The 39-time England international recently returned to training, though he looks unlikely to feature under the famous arch.
Ryan McAidoo has been involved during pre-season, but a setback appears set to limit his participation. The City departures remain up in the air with Maresca's team reportedly bracing for something of a summer clearout. Savinho is another amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Maresca's pre-match update
The Italian head coach expressed doubts about his availability due to illness, stating: "He was not part of the session [on Thursday], he was a little bit ill."
"We'll see today, the session is in the afternoon, so we'll see how he is today and we'll decide [whether he is available vs Arsenal]."
