Mikel Arteta could make wholesale changes to Arsenal's starting lineup this weekend to compensate for the absence of some big names.

Arsenal will be without at least three big names when they face Liverpool.

The Sobha Realty Training Centre appears to have been struck by another wave of injuries, so Mikel Arteta could be forced to make a few changes to the starting lineup at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Earlier this week, the Gunners boss announced that Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, and Noni Madueke had suffered knocks, subsequently ruling them out of the trip up to Blackpool.

On Tuesday night, following the defeat to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup fourth round, Arteta said: "No, Calafiori was out, Noni was out with an ankle, and Declan was feeling a problem the other day, which is why I had to substitute him."

Rice was spotted in training prior to the biggest upset in the recent history of English football, but he was not named in the matchday squad. Rather than support his teammates at Highbury Stadium, the midfielder went pumpkin picking at Tulleys Farm in Crawley.

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When pressed on the absence of Rice, the Gunners boss claimed that he had picked up a knock during the win over Everton. Arteta said: "Declan finished with a problem the other day, that is why I had to substitute him."

Calafiori was, however, absent from training ahead of the Carabao Cup tie. The Spaniard raised eyebrows when he left the defender out of the starting lineup against the Toffees, having started each of the previous seven Premier League games, and then again on Tuesday night.

Speaking to reporters after the defeat to Fleetwood Town, Arteta claimed the defender has been nursing a minor problem. He said: "It was because he had a slight issue, we don't know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it."

Madueke wasn't spotted in action on the grass on Monday either; he, too, didn't make the Arsenal squad on Tuesday evening. As it stands, it remains to be seen whether the three players will miss Saturday afternoon's clash against Liverpool.

Max Dowman could also be unavailable for selection at Anfield, having been shown a red card for violent conduct in the Fleetwood Town clash, which could be subject to an appeal. On Wednesday morning, football.london exclusively reported that the Gunners planned to appeal the dismissal.

Arsenal had to submit the relevant documents to the Football Association by 1pm on Thursday to initiate the process. It's understood that higher-ups at Emirates Stadium wanted the case resolved before the weekend.

Bukayo Saka will certainly miss the Liverpool game. The winger suffered a quad injury during the first half of the draw with Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, and he could be out until December.

William Saliba will also definitely miss the trip to Merseyside, as he continues to rebuild his fitness following a back issue. Christos Tzolis, meanwhile, suffered a hamstring injury during Greece's match against the Netherlands in the last international break but could return for the trip to Liverpool, with Arteta providing an update on Friday during his pre-match press conference.