Mikel Arteta says Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber could return for Southampton clash

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/madueke-chukwunonso/Ac57P9Pt/"]Madueke[/a] was among the 11 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] ‌players who withdrew from international duty last ‌month over injuries and fitness management, as the club ‌eye their first Premier League title since 2004.[/p][p][b]"When ‌you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to ‌be made. That was clear what ⁠the conclusion was,"[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arteta-mikel/lAbHYaQM/"]Arteta[/a] ‌told reporters on Friday.[/p][p]"It makes us so proud that we ​had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for ​their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and ⁠when we can ​do it, we do it."[/p][embed guid="2c4764e7-edc8-41a9-8dc7-6c996637ef49" url="https://x.com/Arsenal/status/2040061247731712253" social-type="twitter" /][p]Madueke picked up a knee injury during England's friendly with Uruguay, missing the game against Japan. But Arteta said his condition was ‌not as bad as a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zubimendi-martin/fNI6Gsdr/"]Martin Zubimendi[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saliba-william/EgIM3sB7/"]William Saliba[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gabriel/tEcnVXMS/"]Gabriel Magalhaes[/a], Timber, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/trossard-leandro/xUAbnjp2/"]Leandro Trossard[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eze-eberechi/Stf4BYFn/"]Eberechi Eze[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saka-bukayo/08NLEo06/"]Bukayo Saka[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rice-declan/zkQ8Cm6n/"]Declan Rice[/a] were unavailable for their countries.[/p][p]Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/arsenal-hA1Zm19f/southampton-WdKOwxDM/?mid=jDKPyBhf"]Saturday's game[/a], as Arsenal look to shake off last month's League Cup final ‌loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] with a return to Wembley ​in the FA Cup semi-finals.[/p][p][b]"We're in a ‌position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition,"[/b] he said. [b]" We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and ⁠we know how ⁠important that competition is ‌for us."[/b][/p]