Football
Arsenal injuries: Mikel Arteta reveals Saka & Martinelli latest before Luton clash
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has assured fans that both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are fit and raring to go ahead of Wednesday's clash with Luton Town.
Both players had been sidelined for a few weeks heading into the 0-0 draw with Manchester City, which Saka started but failed to complete, instead being forced off late on after speaking with the Arsenal physio. He was replaced by Martinelli, who had spent nearly a month on the sidelines with a foot injury.
After the City Game, Arteta confirmed that Saka's withdrawal was purely fatigue as he seeks to rebuild his match fitness, and he offered another positive update during Tuesday's press conference.
"He's fine," Arteta stressed. "Obviously, we haven't trained, just recovered.
"We'll have a short, light session today to prepare [for] the Game and we'll see if he's in the best condition to start or not."
Later asked whether Martinelli is Healthy enough to play a full 90 minutes, Arteta continued: "He is, because he was available to play against a really tough opponent three days ago, so he certainly is today.
"Again, we'll train today and see the state of every player and make the right decision tomorrow."
Arsenal head into the game as the heavy favourites to beat a Luton side who find themselves in the relegation zone with eight matches left to play, but Arteta rejected suggestions he could afford to rest Saka or Martinelli for this clash.
"We're just thinking about Luton, preparing [for] the game in the best possible way and earning the right to beat them," he stressed.
"Big compliments to Rob [Edwards, Luton manager], the coaching staff, and what they have done as a club is an amazing journey. I think they deserve more credit than any other team in this league. How they've done it, what they transmit as a team and what they generate... It's going to be a tough match."
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