Mikel Arteta issues Arsenal injury update with 6 players set for spells on sidelines

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal will be without several key players due to injuries for the upcoming Carabao Cup match against Bolton at the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino were already missing from the recent draw with Manchester City, and now Arteta faces additional concerns following the intense battle at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal's strong performance against their title contenders was marred by a late equalizer, despite Leandro Trossard's early red card forcing the Gunners to mount a staunch defense in the latter half. This effort may have come at a cost, as David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, and Jurrien Timber all suffered injuries during the game.

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While Timber and Calafiori had to be substituted, Raya played on, but was later seen limping significantly. Arteta, when probed about the injury situation, chose to keep details under wraps. He said: "I always prefer the facts to words than supposing things. Let's see who is available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts. Unfortunately there will be a few players not available. Tomorrow you will find out."

Arteta's recent update on the squad's injury woes suggests that both Merino and Odegaard might be sidelined for a few weeks, with the gaffer noting about his skipper: "I think it will be a matter of weeks, but how long exactly I cannot tell. We might get a surprise but I think it's unlikely he'll be back before the international break." On Raya's situation, Arteta added: "Let's see how they are today. We'll try to make a call on that if we believe that's a possibility."

He also confirmed that fans shouldn't expect Oleksandr Zinchenko anytime soon as he is not returning in the next few weeks. With the cup game against lower-tier opposition on the horizon, prospects for rotation are looking likely, meaning the doubtful bunch probably won't feature.

Anticipate seeing some young guns and peripheral figures in the upcoming fixture, with the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly potentially getting some game time, while Raheem Sterling could nab his first start. However, the summer loanee Neto is out of contention as he's already played in this competition for Bournemouth earlier in the season.