Mikel Arteta Reveals Players Likely To Miss Out Of Vital Tottenham Clash.

Bukayo Saka's participation in Thursday's north London derby is in doubt, according to Arteta, as Arsenal assess the player's fitness.

A loss, on the other hand, would put Antonio Conte's side back in contention for the final Champions League position, and Saka's absence would be a big setback for the visitors.

Saka was substituted in Sunday's triumph over Leeds United and is a doubt for the derby. On Wednesday, the club will analyze him in order to provide a firm response. Ben White, who has been sidelined for several games, is also out, with Rob Holding set to partner Gabriel in the middle of the defense.

Arteta explained: "We have to assess him and see how he is feeling, which is much better. Thomas (Partey) is still out, Kieran (Tierney) is still out, and Ben is still a doubt. It's the same with Bukayo." "It's really tough to rate with injuries, it's just how they feel today, that's the last day that we can examine them and try to get the sensation, basically," he said of their prospects of playing.

Nicolas Pepe comes on in place of Saka and could start in north London. Along with Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, the Gunners boss has Emile Smith Rowe and Alexandre Lacazette as alternatives.

"The message is clear: if we beat them, we'll be in the Champions League next season," he stated.

"You don't need any more motivation or explanation than that." We'll play and go for it like we always do when the opportunity arises. It's how we got here, and it's how we're going to deal with it."

"Well, we all know where we want to be and what competition we want to be in, and in order to do that, we need to achieve what we want to do this season through the Premier League, and the opportunity now is in front of us."