Timber and Saliba missed the midweek win over Kairat with what were described as “issues”, and Arteta was able to revamp his line-up for the match as his team completed a perfect campaign in the league stage of the Champions League.
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Havertz made his first start in a competitive match in over a year and scored in the 3-2 win, providing a significant boost to the club’s attacking options.
Although he confirmed the German’s minutes will be monitored after a long layoff, Arteta said the key trio are in contention for selection for the trip to Leeds in the Premier League.
“We didn’t have any surprises (against Kairat), we hope everyone trains well today and will be available for tomorrow,” Arteta said.
“(Saliba and Timber) are fine, they have obviously played a lot of minutes. They have had some problems. It was a very good opportunity to unburden them a little and refresh them.
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“(Havertz) is ready, obviously he started the other day, obviously it’s been a long period and now we have to manage that load and the games that we are going to select for him to start.
“But there was no reaction to that, I think it was super positive, you could immediately see the impact it can have on the team.”
Ricciardo Calafiori is also in contention having made his first start of 2026 in midweek, leaving out only youngster Max Dowman.
Arsenal start the weekend four points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa at the top of the table. A defeat to Manchester United has raised fresh questions about the club’s mentality as they chase a long-awaited Premier League title, but Arteta dismissed those concerns.
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“It’s about understanding where you are,” Arteta emphasized.
“Certainly when you lose a game you have a lot of feelings, especially this group of players because they are very competitive. They look for excellence and when you don’t achieve it, you ask questions, and that’s what we did.
“My role there is to bring optimism and reality to where we are. Our club has a long history and to find the position we are in in February is difficult to find.”