Ahead of Arsenal's pivotal Premier League showdown with Manchester United, Mikel Arteta has refrained from revealing too much about the fitness of his squad.
The North London giants carried momentum through an emphatic 5-2 victory over West Ham on Saturday evening, despite Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel exiting the pitch injured and Thomas Partey along with Mikel Merino missing that fixture due to minor problems.
Arteta maintained a level of suspense regarding the condition of his side, stating: "We're going to have a meeting this afternoon. We have done a training session. We monitor and keep some players away from certain activities. After that meeting we'll decide who is fit and available and who will start. They all want to play."
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There were similarly no fresh insights into Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu's return timeframes.
With high spirits bolstered by netting five times each in their last two matches – against Sporting Lisbon and an out-of-sorts West Ham – there’s a buzz around Emirates Stadium.
Notably successful against United at home, recording six wins in the past seven encounters, Arteta acknowledged the immediate impact new United boss Ruben Amorim had made, commenting: "Obviously you can see his fingerprints and what he wants to do straight away. He's been clear. He's been very successful at Sporting, it was remarkable what he achieved there.
"Especially the way he did it and how his team was playing. He brings energy and ideas to a new club. That's always something positive. But we have to focus on what we have to do."
Arteta joined Arsenal in similar circumstances to Amorim - midway through a season that had started poorly. The key lesson the Gunners boss learned was simple: "How unpredictable this job is. I jumped in in the middle of the season in very special circumstances and then we got hit by Covid.
"You can plan whatever you want but football takes you in any direction you can never imagine and you have to deal with it. Take it as it comes, face it and go for it."
Arsenal and United were drawn together in the FA Cup third round too, with that fixture set to take place in early January.
"That's the thing about draws, you can get anybody. It's going to be a big match again," Arteta added. "At the end you have to beat the big teams to win it. It is what it is, we accept it."
