Mikel Arteta sends Liverpool championship warning as £45 million star nears recovery from injury

With the Champions League draw throwing up some interesting narratives for all three English clubs, the focus now turns back to the domestic action.

Arsenal welcome West Ham United, hoping to keep the pressure on Liverpool by moving within five points with a game in hand on Saturday before Arne Slot’s side face Manchester City on Sunday.

In his pre-match press conference, Arteta was quizzed over the title race but he played it coy, keeping all the attention on the game at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow.

Arteta teases return for Martinelli and Saka.

One huge concern is the return dates for two of their main attackers, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who both hope to return before April.

When asked about them, he stated that Martinelli is ahead of Saka as of this week: “They are progressing really well. Gabby is slightly ahead of Bukayo, but we’ll have to see how the boys feel and what we’re willing to do.”

Martinelli had seven goals and four assists in all competitions prior to his injury, and his return in the coming weeks would provide a significant boost in attack, allowing Leandro Trossard to move into the false nine position, providing them another option.

Arteta did add that a ‘few different players’, including Mikel Merino, had been trialed in the striker position to help them deal with their striker dilemma, so we could see something new this weekend.

Another significant bonus for Arteta is that Ben White is ready to start games again; the defender has missed 26 games this season due to a knee ailment, but he returns just in time for the title race.

That provides Arteta options at the back, with Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelley starting full-backs in last weekend’s victory over Leicester City, although he will most likely come off the bench when he regains full fitness.