Arsenal will be missing two important players for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP after manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber are unavailable.
The pair were absent during Arsenal’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton at the weekend and have failed to regain fitness before the trip to Portugal.
“They haven’t travelled. They’re not ready yet,” Arteta said of Saka and Timber. “Hopefully, they’re going to be ready for the weekend if everything goes well.”
There was better news elsewhere for Arsenal, with Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard all declared fit for the encounter.
“That’s a massive boost because in recent days we’ve lost so many important players and that’s something that we need to change immediately,” Arteta added.
