Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed William Saliba and Jurrien Timber will both miss the club's final Champions League group phase match against Kairat Almaty.

The Gunners are bidding to make it eight wins from eight on Wednesday night when they host the Kazakh minnows, who have taken just one point from their opening seven matches and have therefore already been eliminated from the competition.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have already all but wrapped up top spot following last week's impressive 3-1 win at Inter Milan.

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However, they are now striving to make it eight European wins on the spin with extra prize money up for grabs.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon at London Colney, Arteta confirmed both Saliba and Timber won't feature, stating: "Those players are out.

"They have some niggles and it is a good opportunity to get them in the best possible condition for the weekend."

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Midfield duo Declan Rice and Mikel Merino are also suspended after accumulating three yellow cards.

Young centre-back Marli Salmon, who made his debut earlier in the competition against Club Brugge, trained with Arsenal on Tuesday and could slot in for Saliba.

There's also a firm chance Christian Norgaard could slot in as a makeshift centre-back again. Given he was nominated to speak in the press conference, there's a likelihood he will start.

Arteta also took the chance to speak about the home atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium which has become a major talking point in recent weeks.

He said while urging fans to enjoy the ride: "That's why I encourage them to jump in this boat because it's going to be fun! When you want to achieve a dream, for ten months, out of that some incredible things are going to emerge. That is the only way to live it. The best chance to deliver what we want is to channel all the energy into that direction."

Arsenal are facing a huge week. This weekend they travel to Leeds before hosting Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Given the importance of both those matches, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Arteta rest the majority of his key players.

That said, back in December 2023, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Rice all featured in a Champions League dead-rubber at PSV Eindhoven.