Arsenal are hoping for some good news on the injury front ahead of facing Chelsea.
Bukayo Saka is looking to return from a hamstring issue that ruled him out of the win over Manchester City before the international break.
The Gunners also saw William Saliba and Leandro Trossard pull out of their countries’ matches due to injuries. Jurrien Timber is a long-term absentee.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Ghana have confirmed their management of Thomas Partey is in line with the midfielder’s return to fitness and not the result of a fresh problem.
Here is your latest update of Arsenal injuries and return dates...
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal fans could not be blamed for a moment of hope last week when Saka rocked up at St. George’s Park to undergo a medical assessment with the England team, despite Mikel Arteta ruling him out of this international period.
Having been quickly sent home to continue his rehabilitation, Standard Sport reported on the optimism that Saka’s issue is not serious and he is targeting a return against Chelsea.
The winger, 22, first suffered the injury in the Champions League defeat to Lens and sat out the win over City, and the hope is a bit of time on the sidelines will ensure he’s fit and firing for the coming weeks.
However, Arteta was non-committal on whether he will be fit for the weekend during his pre-game press conference.
William Saliba
Saliba was a surprise withdrawal from the France squad in the minutes after the City game, due to a toe injury.
It has been reported that the problem has been impacting the defender for a number of weeks, which was described by the French media as “chronic”, and Arsenal hope to have him back for the Chelsea trip.
Arteta said on Friday: "He’s been carrying that for weeks now. We had to use that time to settle and we believed it was the best moment to do that."
Leandro Trossard
The winger was taken off at half time of Arsenal’s last match and subsequently pulled out of Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Trossard is back in north London nursing a hamstring issue and it is understood the decision to send him home was simply precautionary.
Jurrien Timber
Arsenal fans continue to wait to see if Timber will play again this season after suffering a serious knee injury during his Premier League debut.
Reports emerged in recent days that the Dutchman should be back for March but it is too early to put a date on his return at this stage.
