Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta sends Liverpool 'right place' warning: 'We're more than comfortable'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted his side will be "flying" when they face Liverpool on Sunday.

The Gunners currently sit third in the Premier League on 17 points, while Liverpool are four points above them in first. Arsenal head into the match off the back of a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, with Arteta admitting they showed a "drop off" in their performance

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However, he is confident that Arsenal will be back to their best against Liverpool. When asked how he plans to re-energise his players ahead the game, Arteta said: "Well, we played two nights ago with players coming from internationals after flying from Brazil and many countries.

"I was expecting a bit of a drop off. And the fact that we put so much in the first half and didn’t get the distance in terms of the scoreline, I think we paid a bit for that. Then we made life more difficult for us because we started give the ball away in not the right areas and then it was more open.

"That didn't help. But we have now four days. Believe me, come Sunday we'll be flying. For sure. We'll review, have a day off, then two days to prepare the game.

"Sunday is far and we are more than comfortable that we'll be in the right place."
Arsenal are also sweating on the fitness of several key players, including Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. William Saliba will be suspended for the match after his sending off against Bournemouth, while Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu are doubts.

He has said that Timber is "going to be close" to making his return against Liverpool, while Tomiyasu recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee issue. Arteta is also not expecting club captain Odegaard to be fit.

"I don't think so," Arteta told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 when asked if Odegaard could face the Reds. "Martin is frustrated and desperate to return. But hopefully this period will teach him some things that are important in life."

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