Arteta injury update before Arsenal vs Chelsea live: Guimaraes, Timber and squad depth

Arsenal vs Chelsea is the weekend's big Premier League appointment: a London derby that decides whether a perfect Arsenal start survives the first true test of the new squad.

Mikel Arteta delivered the hard news on Friday. Bruno Guimaraes had a knock against Villa and was being assessed, with the manager saying he would probably be available for training the following day. Cristian Mosquera’s early substitution was more precaution than anything else. Ezri Konsa is available to start. Jurrien Timber’s fitness, Arteta said, would be decided after Saturday training.

Those updates matter because Arsenal also confirmed their 25-man Premier League squad after the window closed. Gabriel Martinelli’s departure to Al-Hilal was the headline sale. Arteta was asked whether the group is stronger than it was in May. “Yes I do,” he said. “Now we have to prove it. I think we are better equipped. I think we have more players available than what we had at the start of last season. We have increased the quality and we have increased the leadership in the team as well.”

Sky Sports News separately reported Arteta addressing William Saliba after the defender was named in Arsenal’s Champions League squad. The message is simple: the derby will be played with several fitness calls still live, not with a settled XI announced days early.

Chelsea arrive with their own post-window noise. Xabi Alonso said he was happy with the squad and depth after the Lamine Camara deal fell through, and that decisions around Enzo Fernández leaving were taken together.

Arteta’s line on depth is the story, not a predicted score. Fewer recognised attackers on the books, more leadership claimed in the dressing room, and at least three first-team names still being monitored. That is the picture before kick-off.