Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta offers Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber injury reports.

Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber missed Arsenal’s one-sided 4-1 victory against Bayer Leverkusen, but both are expected to be available for the club’s Premier League start against Wolves on August 17.

Mikel Arteta has stated that Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber will be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Wolves.

Calafiori and Timber both missed the Gunners’ 4-1 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate pre-season friendly, which saw Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz on target.

But Arteta has allayed fears that both may be out for extended periods of time, explaining: “With Jurrien, he experienced some foot discomfort in the last few days. Obviously, given how long he has been out, we did not want to take any chances with him. Riccardo experienced a lot in just one week.

“He has entered a new environment with a different philosophy and training, and we are managing it gradually in order to get him in the best possible situation. Hopefully, he’ll be available on Sunday to play some minutes.

Timber’s fitness issue is not thought to be significant, and Arsenal is simply exercising cautious to preserve the player after a lengthy layoff last season.

Meanwhile, Arteta stated that both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice must be prepared for the next campaign, despite burnout concerns following their participation with England at Euro 2024. The Spaniard stated, “The season begins in nine or ten days, so they must be ready. These are their current demands.

“We take good care of them while they are with us, and we offer them days off when we can. We’ve given them the rest they needed. If you look at their faces, you can see the light in their eyes. “They do not want to miss it.”

He subsequently added, “They’ll tell us how they’re doing.” You throw them in, and we’ll see how they interact with everyone and what they have. They definitely want to be involved.”

Left-back On eight minutes, Zinchenko struck the opening goal from range into the bottom corner of the Leverkusen net. Trossard then got in on the action a minute later, finishing a superb team move that saw Arsenal handle the ball around with speed.

It was 3-0 before halftime when Jesus intercepted the ball on the halfway line, drove at Leverkusen’s defence, and scored from 20 yards. Havertz then added a fourth, before Adam Hlozek scored a consolation for Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga champions.