Latest Arsenal injury news as two could miss Brighton amid anxious Bukayo Saka wait

Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Bukayo Saka will be back available for Arsenal's intense run-in after he missed the mid-week victory against Luton Town. The 22-year-old was a major doubt for Wednesday's clash at Emirates Stadium and subsequently Arteta opted to leave him out of the matchday squad while also making numerous changes.

Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey and Reiss Nelson were among those to come into the starting XI, with the trio enduring mixed evenings. Despite not having Saka available, the Gunners got the job done with Martin Odegaard on target and an own goal handing Arteta's side a 2-0 victory.

After discussing the performance, Arteta was then asked about Saka with his update providing some hope he could feature this weekend against Brighton. «He was close but he felt something in a very similar area [to] against City and it was a very short turnaround,» Arteta admitted. «Hopefully he will be able to train tomorrow and be available for the weekend.»

Ahead of the trip to Amex Stadium, 36 hours on from his last update, Arteta was understandably asked for the latest on Saka with his update, as many would have expected, not giving much away. «We will know now. We have a training session in a few hours and we will know if he’s fit or not,» he said on Friday.

Arteta then went on to confirm that everyone else was OK, but it is unclear if that is in relation to Jurrien Timber as well. The Netherlands international has played just one Premier League game this season after suffering an ACL injury back in August, however Arteta recently admitted he is hopeful that Timber will play again in this campaign.

A return against Brighton however is unlikely, but for Saka, he could be back in the squad very soon judging by Arteta's