Arsenal will be without captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus for Tuesday’s opening Champions League match against Athletic Bilbao.
Odegaard came off with a shoulder injury in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, having already injured a shoulder against Leeds a week earlier. Saka has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since August 23.
On Saka ahead of the clash, Arteta said: ‘It’s very early to understand when, which week he’s going to be available, but he will certainly be pushing to be available as quick as possible.’
Despite the setbacks, Arteta has suggested that Arsenal’s £250million summer splurge has given him the squad depth to avenge last season’s Champions League heartache.
The Gunners crashed out of the competition’s semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain after battling a series of injuries throughout their campaign.
That included a torn hamstring to Kai Havertz, which saw Arteta deploy Mikel Merino as a striker. Having signed eight players including Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi, Arteta is confident his squad can do even better.
Mikel Arteta has suggested that Arsenal’s £250million summer splurge has given him the squad depth to avenge last season’s Champions League heartache
Odegaard came off with a shoulder injury in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, having already injured a shoulder against Leeds
Bukayo Saka has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since the Gunners’ clash against Leeds on August 23
Arteta said: ‘(We learned last season) that we are good enough, that we can compete against any opposition on the day.
‘And on top of that, two things have to go your way. You need to have a full squad available when it comes to the most critical moments in the season. And then as well, the ball has to go in, in the right moment or with the right decision because the margins are so small.
‘When we were training and we had eight or nine key players (out) and we’re going to games with 13 players and the level is extremely difficult. But I think even with that condition, we did really, really well. We gave ourselves an unbelievable chance and we were very unlucky in the semi-final not to get through.’
On Arsenal having never won the Champions League while rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have, he added: ‘That tells you with our long history how difficult it is because we haven’t won it yet and that’s the opportunity. That’s how I see it.
‘I mean, they (other clubs) try seven, eight, nine times and they win two (Champions Leagues). So, in this competition, you fail much more than you succeed. That’s the nature of that. That’s the history of our club and that’s what we want to change.’
