«I’d rather go to bed with the eleven in my head so I can sleep like a baby, but…»

Mikel Arteta’s team is affected by several injuries

Despite the unknowns with several injuries – Bukayo Saka , Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori , Mikel Arteta was in good spirits in the preview of Arsenal ‘s reception to Liverpool , this Sunday.

“Normally, I prefer to go to bed with the starting eleven in my head, so I can sleep like a baby. But sometimes that can’t be the case, because we have to wait until the next day. Sometimes, two or three days before, we already have an idea. ‘Against this team, this is what I’m going to do’. But when there’s uncertainty with injuries, that’s complicated,” he explained.

“But we will try to have a great day on Sunday when we are playing well. We are who we are and we have to win the game the way we have won before, and that is what has to guide our team,” he said, also praising his opponent: “I really admire and like the way he [Arne Slot] defines his teams and also the way he communicates. And yes, we will give them a good reception on Sunday.”