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Mikel Arteta says Declan Rice and Riccardo Califiori are available for Arsenal’s trip to Crystal Palace and is confident Oleksandr Zinchenko could join them.
Rice sat out Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Palace in the Carabao Cup with an unspecified problem, and Califiori has not featured since the 5-2 win over West Ham last month.
“Both are available,” Arteta confirmed in Friday’s pre-match press conference.
And when asked about Zinchenko, who has not been seen since the 2-0 win over Manchester United, he added: “I think he might be available.”
Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick at the Emirates on Wednesday in what was the first time he had scored at home in more than a year, while he is yet to open his Premier League account this season.
On the number 9, Arteta said: “I was very happy because he helped the team win to reach the semi-final and that is what we wanted.
“You can see her immediate reaction, a big smile on her face and that’s what we need from everyone to be at the highest level of performance and Gabi (Jesús) certainly had that.
“He has looked very good since he returned from preseason. After suffering a setback, he started playing and had good performances without scoring. “What he did the other day is exactly what we need in our nine.”
Arteta celebrates five years as Arsenal boss this weekend, transforming the Gunners from a struggling team into one of England’s leading forces again.
Regarding how they have grown in five years, the Spaniard stated: “The unity, the connection and the fact that right now we are competing on large fronts. We have not managed to do that in recent years and that is positive.
“I am here because I am passionate about what I do and I love this football club. I try to be the best version every day.
“Those things take time. “There was a connection here with the fans because I was a player and captain here, but after going through different situations together, it galvanized the relationship.”
“I really enjoy working with the people I work with every day. We have built something together and everyone has contributed greatly to achieving it and the fact that everyone is hungry and ambitious means that now we have to go to another level. “
