Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides worrying injury updates on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice

Mikel Arteta gave the latest on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice's injuries at his latest pre-match press conference before Arsenal's EFL Cup fixture against Brentford on 27 September.

Rice was substituted at halftime in his team's 2-2 Premier League draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (24 September). According to the Guardian, the English midfielder, who joined the Gunners from West Ham United for £105 million suffered a back spasm.

Saka scored his team's second goal against Spurs but was taken off in second-half stoppage time. As per the Evening Standard, the 22-year-old is supposedly struggling with an Achilles injury that he suffered last season but has played through it so far.

Asked about the duo's situation before the game against the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium, Arteta told reporters (h/t @SamJDean on X):

"He [Rice] has not trained yet. He could not carry on in the game. Hopefully, it is not something big. We are confident [it is not serious]. He is still uncomfortable. Hopefully, it will progress in the next few days.."

On Saka, the Spaniard commented:

"He [Saka] has not been able to participate [in training since the derby]. It’s a possibility [that he is unavailable for the Bournemouth game]."

Going by Arteta's comments, the third-round EFL Cup clash against Brentford could come too early for both the England internationals. The Gunners will then travel to Dorset to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League on 30 September.

Rice and Saka have featured in all eight of their team's matches across competitions since the start of the season.

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Bukayo Saka's effort not enough for Arsenal as they lost ground in title race

Bukayo Saka helped Arsenal take the lead twice against Tottenham Hotspur, but their north London rivals' resiliency meant they walked away from the Emirates with a point.

Saka has already become one of Mikel Arteta's most important players and shoulders a great deal of responsibility for his team in the final third. In the 16th minute, his curling effort was deflected into the net by Cristian Romero.

Son Heung-min equalized before halftime but Saka's 54th-minute penalty kick restored Arsenal's lead. Just a minute later, Jorginho, who came on for Declan Rice after the break, lost the ball to James Maddison.

The Englishman assisted Son's second goal of the game as both teams struggled to score the decisive third goal. Having trailed twice away from home, Ange Postecoglou would have been the happier of the two managers with a point.

Both teams entered Gameweek 6 trailing the league leaders, Manchester City, by just two points. However, the defending champions' 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest this weekend means the gap has now increased to four.