'He's available': Mikel Arteta says 'amazing' Arsenal player is fine to start tonight after injury scare
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Arsenal are gearing up for their first Champions League encounter of the season as they prepare to face Atalanta in Bergamo on Thursday night.
The Gunners are currently in a good place, at least as far as their results are concerned. They bounced back from their Brighton draw by winning the North London derby.
Arsenal now have 10 points from their opening four Premier League games of the season and they’ll hope they can take this momentum into the Champions League.
Off the pitch, however, the Gunners have been left reeling by the news that Martin Odegaard is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Arsenal captain picked up an injury while on international duty with Norway and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta confirmed on Wednesday that the midfielder has damaged ligaments.
However, amid this bad news, there were also some injury boosts for the Gunners, with Arteta providing those at the pre-Atalanta press conference.
Mikel Arteta confirms Bukayo Saka is available for Arsenal trip to Atalanta
One of these positive injury news involves Arsenal star Bukayo Saka.
The 23-year-old suffered a knock in the win over Tottenham Hotspur, signalling to come off a few minutes from time.
Saka was able to hobble off the pitch unaided, but Arteta wasn’t able to provide an update after the game.
He told reporters, as per the Evening Standard: "I don't know. I made two changes with the front players and suddenly he's down.
"I don't know exactly what it is but he could not continue."
However, the same outlet has since reported that Saka was suffering from cramp, and that he joined his teammates in training ahead of flying out to Italy.
And on Wednesday night, Arteta gave Saka the all-clear, saying he was fine and is available for the Atalanta clash.
He told football.london: “He (Saka) was able to train today and he completed most of the session so he's available.”
READ MORE:Arsenal academy full-back spotted in first-team training pre-Atalanta
Saka should be rested for Atalanta clash
Amid the sad news of Odegaard’s lengthy injury layoff, it’s good to hear that Saka is good to go against Atalanta.
He is an “amazing” player who symbolises Arteta’s Arsenal and is key to their hopes of glory.
However, with Manchester City on the horizon, this is a good chance for Arteta to rest Saka and give Raheem Sterling a start on the right.
Sterling was brought in to help ease Saka’s workload, and this game seems like the perfect opportunity for the Chelsea loanee to start.
