Arsenal squad update as Arteta rates chances of Liverpool clash going ahead

Arsenal were able to get their north London derby with Tottenham postponed at the weekend after an injury crisis, but are hopeful their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg vs Liverpool will avoid the same fate

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Antonio Conte on Spurs v Arsenal postponement

Mikel Arteta is optimistic Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final tie with Liverpool will go ahead on Thursday.

Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard is set to be given the green light after missing the first leg with Covid and the majority of short term injuries – with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Calum Chambers, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel – are expected to be fit.

The EFL also has different rules on availability which means every registered player is considered available and Arsenal could have more numbers for Thursday night, having told the Premier League they could not even field ten players at Tottenham.

Arsenal have come in for criticism for agreeing to loan out Pablo Mari to Udinese in the middle of an injury crisis on top of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun joining Roma and Middlesbrough on loan respectively.

But the club insist that they have recalled more players from loan this month than have been allowed out, the latest being Tyreece John-Jules returning from Blackpool while Nikolaj Moller and Miguel Azeez were recalled from loans at Viktoria Koln and Portsmouth.

Premier League bosses have come in for huge criticism for the handling of postponements and both Chelsea and Tottenham have voiced their annoyance at Arsenal being allowed to call a game off with only one Covid case in Odegaard.

But Prem rules meant that if Arsenal had a Covid case they could apply for the postponement with the Tottenham game now set to be rescheduled in a European midweek as both clubs are not in Europe, Spurs having gone out of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Arsenal manager Arteta took training on Tuesday and there were understood to be no fresh Covid cases so, as long as players are fit and there is no new outbreak, the semi final second leg looks set to go ahead at the Emirates.

Arsenal snatched a goalless draw at Liverpool last Thursday despite having Granit Xhaka sent off and the Switzerland midfielder is suspended for the return.