Arteta: Saka and Rice ready for Coventry opener

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are available for selection ahead of the club's Premier League opener against Coventry City on Friday night (8pm UK).

Both England internationals came off the bench in Arsenal's 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City last weekend and are in contention to feature from the start against the Championship champions.

Bruno Guimaraes, who was substituted at half-time in the Community Shield, remains a doubt. "Let's see how he is," Arteta said of the midfielder. "He's evolving really well, but let's see for tomorrow."

Defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba will miss Friday's match. Arteta said Timber is progressing well but is not yet training with the group, adding he expects the Dutchman back "in the next few weeks."

Saliba's absence is described as a longer-term concern. "We have a really specific issue in the backline, especially with the long-term injury of Wilo. We are trying to reinforce that area. Whenever we're ready, we'll announce something," Arteta said.

On squad depth heading into a long season, Arteta acknowledged the challenge of managing minutes across a large group. "I would like to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we are fighting for. We got in some difficult situations and we had two or three injuries in the same area of the pitch. So the deeper the squad that we have, the better."

He added that players need regular playing time to feel valued: "They need to play minutes."