Mikel Arteta has revealed he expects Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka to be involved against Manchester City but that Jurrien Timber and William Saliba will miss out through injury. Arsenal take on the FA Cup holders in the Community Shield on Sunday and enter the showpiece as Premier League champions for the first time in over 20 years.
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The Gunners kick off their 2026/27 competitive campaign this weekend with injury updates becoming a priority over transfer rumours to supporters. Rice, Saka, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino have all returned recently after going far in the World Cup though none of the quartet are unavailable.
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Some Arsenal fitness issues were on display prior to the tournament with Jurrien Timber managing a groin issue since March.
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Saliba, meanwhile, aggravated a pre-existing back problem in action for France and is expected to be sidelined for a number of months.
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With all of that being said, Arteta has provided some updates on several Arsenal stars and their ongoing fitness issues and specific injuries.
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Jurrien Timber
Timber featured in the Champions League final after several months out and was set to play in the World Cup but was later deemed unavailable by the Netherlands. He is
What Arteta has said: “Jurrien is progressing really well, he’s on the pitch. We are ramping up now certain actions and especially the volume and the load. And I think he’s in a good trajectory but there’s still a few weeks to go.
“I don’t know [if he will be back before international break], we have to wait and see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there.
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“It’s been a long-term issue right now and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one. He feels right to do that and it’s such an important thing for us.”
Possible return date: September/October.
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William Saliba
Saliba won’t undergo surgery on his back but is set to miss a considerable period.
What Arteta has said: “With Willy, we all know it’s a long-term injury.”
Possible return date: N/A.
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Bukayo Saka
Saka was plagued by minor issues throughout the second half of last season and was managed by England at the World Cup. However, he confirmed following the third-place play-off win over France that he was fit.
What Arteta has said: “Yeah, they [Saka, Rice, Zubimendi] will be available. They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow and if they are in the condition that we expect them to be, they will be involved.
Bukayo Saka
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Bukayo Saka is fit to play for Arsenal this weekend
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“We haven’t noticed anything, obviously they have individual plans through the time that they have with the national team. They’ve been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved. In the rest period that they have, they’ve both had specific programmes for themselves.
“They’ve been doing those and so far over the last two or three days it was really good.”
Possible return date: Man City (N) – Sunday. August 16.
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Declan Rice
Rice was also struggling in the first half of 2026 with Thomas Tuchel resting him when possible. He returned to the Sobha Realty Training Centre earlier this week and can feature if he makes it through training on Saturday.
What Arteta has said: “Yeah, they [Saka, Rice, Zubimendi] will be available. They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow and if they are in the condition that we expect them to be, they will be involved.
“We haven’t noticed anything, obviously they have individual plans through the time that they have with the national team. They’ve been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved. In the rest period that they have, they’ve both had specific programmes for themselves.
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“They’ve been doing those and so far over the last two or three days it was really good.”
Possible return date: Man City (N) – Sunday. August 16.
