Why Kai Havertz is not in Arsenal squad for Liverpool explained after Mikel Arteta decision

Arsenal news as Kai Havertz is not included in the squad for the Gunners’ clash with Liverpool in the Premier League

Kai Havertz has been left out of the Arsenal squad for this evening’s clash against Liverpool. The 26-year-old forward has only recently returned from a spell on the sidelines, and he’s yet to rebuild his match fitness.

Instead, Mikel Arteta has named Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Jesus on the bench as his attacking options. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have returned to the starting lineup.

Havertz was omitted from the matchday squad that travelled to the Vitality Stadium at the weekend, despite having appeared on the bench in the away win over Aston Villa a few days prior. The Germany international had been out with a knee problem, which he sustained in the early stages of the season.

Speaking to reporters at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Wednesday, Arteta provided an update on Havertz’s condition. The Gunners boss said: “Yeah, we are monitoring, obviously, his load.

“He has been out for a long time for two different reasons, and he’s very close. He trained this morning again, and hopefully, we’re going to have him available and the best version of Kai Havertz.”

Arteta also provided an update on Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera. The former suffered an ‘awkward’ injury ahead of the 2-1 victory against Brighton, while the latter sustained a ‘complicated’ ankle issue during the 2-0 win over Brentford.

“No, they’re out again,” said the Arsenal boss. “I think pretty soon they have to go to the last stage of the rehab. I think everything goes well, hopefully very soon they will be available for selection.”

Despite the absence of some big names, Arteta claimed his players have been in high spirits. On the mood in the dressing room, the Spaniard said: “Obviously excited, it’s a massive game against the champions of the last Premier League, and we have a point to prove.

“We’re going to have our crowd, our supporters, very early. Before eight o’clock, everybody will be there, creating an amazing atmosphere and looking forward to it.”

Dominik Szoboszlai fired Liverpool to a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Anfield back in August. While the Gunners have since established a comfortable lead at the top of the Premier League, Arteta has no plans to take his foot off the pedal.

“We are top of the table, we’ll play at home against a really, really good opponent and we want to maintain our position,” said the Spaniard. “In order to do that, we’re going to have to be excellent throughout the game to win it, and that’s the point we have to prove.”

Arteta continued: “The margins I think for all of us are really small, we always talk about that. They have a great manager, they have a sensational structure and understanding of what they have to do in relation to the players that they select tomorrow in the line-up.

“They can play in different ways because, at the end, those will make them a little bit different and more specific to what we can expect tomorrow and we have to be conscious of that and focus on what we have to do.”

On Liverpool’s poor form, Arteta said: “That’s on paper, but I still think that they are a superb team and what they’ve done as well. You have to understand as well the context that they have with certain injuries and the difficulty of the league for all of us, but my opinion hasn’t changed about that.”