Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sent a rallying cry to his injured team before of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.

Arsenal faces the painful threat of dropping seven points behind the Reds if Liverpool wins three points at the Emirates in a game that could have a significant impact on the title race.

Arsenal’s preparations have been hampered by an injury issue in recent weeks. Arteta revealed following Tuesday’s Champions League triumph that skipper Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are still unavailable.

In their European triumph over Shakhtar Donetsk, defender Riccardo Calafiori limped off after twisting his knee. He will undergo further testing to establish the seriousness of the injury.

Meanwhile, star defender William Saliba will miss the Liverpool match due to a one-game suspension after being sent off against Bournemouth last time out.

Mikel Arteta issued a rallying call to his injury-ridden Arsenal squad ahead of their weekend clash against Liverpool

Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka (left) and Martin Odegaard (right) are both set to miss the match with injury

Arsenal were dealt another injury blow as Riccardo Calafiori (left) limped off in Tuesday’s Champions League win

However, despite carrying a squad of wounded players, Arteta remains confident of his side’s title ambitions and issued a warning to Liverpool ahead of the weekend.

Analysing Arsenal’s midweek Champions League win, Arteta said: ‘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,’ said the Arsenal boss.

The Gunners will benefit from having an extra day to prepare for the encounter as Liverpool travel to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Arteta warned that his Arsenal squad ‘will be flying’ against Liverpool at the Emirates

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has guided the team to the very top at the beginning of his debut season.

Liverpool, on the other hand, will go to the Emirates with a nearly totally fit side that has been the Premier League’s surprise package in Slot’s debut season after replacing Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool lost their last trip to Arsenal in February, but they have an impressive record against the Gunners, having knocked them out of the FA Cup at the Emirates in January.

Arteta may use a weird pre-match practice to inspire his team against Liverpool, following the revelation that he covertly hired a football freestyler to troll them.

The Spaniard has a tendency for devising bizarre and quirky motivational strategies, having previously attempted to prepare his players for a match against Liverpool by blasting ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ on speakers during a training session.