It will come as a surprise to few that Arsenal look set to be bolstered by the return of at least three players for their trip to Liverpool.

The Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek at the hands of League Two’s Fleetwood Town, a match they played without Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis.

Rice missed out due to discomfort in his hamstring, Madueke was absent with an ankle issue, while Tzolis has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the international break.

On Friday, Arteta indicated that three of the quartet are expected to be available against the Reds after returning to training.

“They all trained today,” Arteta said on Rice, Calafiori and Tzolis. “If they train tomorrow (Saturday), they will all be available.”

As for Madueke, there is less certainty where he is concerned, but the Arsenal boss refused to rule him out of making the trip to Merseyside.

“We don’t know yet,” Arteta said of Madueke’s chances to reporters. “We have a training session tomorrow, let’s see if he can complete the full session.

“After that, we will know if he’s available.”

Potential Arsenal XI vs. Liverpool: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes; Madueke, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz

Liverpool do know for certain, however, that the Gunners will be without Bukayo Saka, who needs more tests on his injured thigh, the injured William Saliba and the suspended Max Dowman.

The 16-year-old will serve the first of his three-game suspension against Liverpool after his ban for kicking out at an opponent was upheld on appeal.

His absence places more importance on the return of Madueke, with Arsenal otherwise limited on options for the right flank.

As for the Reds, Iraola did not rule out either Dominik Szoboszlai or Victor Munoz for the fixture, saying they still “have a chance” if they train on Saturday.