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Mikel on whether Saka and Zinchenko are fit

Bukayo Saka in action against PSV Eindhoven

Mikel Arteta hopes to have Bukayo Saka fit for Sunday's trip to Southampton despite the attacker limping off at the end of our win against PSV Eindhoven.

The 21-year-old shone once again at Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, but received a blow when shooting at goal late on in the encounter which caused him to be replaced by Reiss Nelson five minutes from time.

However, Arteta believes it isn't an issue that will prevent him from facing the Saints as we aim to win a ninth-straight game in all competitions.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: "I think he’s fine. I think he was struggling a bit at the end [against PSV], but hopefully he will be fine for Sunday."

There was also good news that Gabriel Martinelli managed to play the final 15 minutes after struggling earlier in the week, however doubts remain as to whether Oleksandr Zinchenko will be able to play some part on the weekend after his calf issue caused him to miss a fifth game in a row, although the boss has indicated he'll be back sooner rather than later.

"He [Martinelli] had a tough week," Arteta added. "He wasn’t feeling great during the week, but towards the day before the game, he was already feeling better and that’s why we decided to play him a little bit.

"I think [Zinchenko] is close. He’s getting better and better and he’s progressing really well. He had a setback on the injury that he had at the start of the season, which is a shame, but knowing Alex, he will be back very soon."

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