If all has gone according to plan for Arsenal during the international break then Mikel Arteta will be in a very good mood as his side return to Premier League action against Leeds United.
However, there's every chance the Gunners manager hasn't been so lucky, with one major injury concern emerging at the beginning of the week which comes hot on the heels of confirmation that Takehiro Tomiyasu won't feature again until next season after undergoing knee surgery.
In truth, Arteta should have enough defensive options to cope without the Japan international for the final 10 games of the campaign, but with Benjamin White now Arsenal's only senior option at right-back, the Spaniard has to manage his minutes carefully as it's unlikely a debut will be handed to academy prospect Reuell Walters.
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With that said, White was not called up by England during the international break, while Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli did not feature for Brazil, which means they should all be fit and raring to go when relegation-threatened Leeds visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Taking into account that Leandro Trossard featured for Belgium twice during the break it could be that Jesus is handed a recall to the Gunners' starting line-up after making two substitute appearances in the Premier League since returning from a three-month injury lay-off.
So, as Arteta mulls over who should lead the Gunners' attack at the Emirates, football.london has taken a look at what other changes the Spanish tactician could be contemplating from the side that started the 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, especially as many of his regulars were in action during the international hiatus.
Partey replacement on standby
Whilst Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard avoided injury following Rodri's challenge during the Norway vs Spain Euro 2024 qualifier, with Kieran Tierney seemingly doing the same after another incident involving the Man City star in Scotland's 2-0 win against Spain, Thomas Partey appears to have been less fortunate.
A surprising absentee from the Ghana line-up against Angola on Monday, it was later revealed by Chris Hughton that the midfielder had indeed suffered a problem. "Thomas [Partey] has some small issues," he said in the post-match interview. "We felt it was too big of a risk to start him [against Angola]."
The good news is that Ghana took no chances with Partey's fitness and the Gunners will be able to assess the midfielder ahead of the Leeds game. Of course, with Jorginho - a more than capable deputy - on standby it can make it easier for Arteta to opt for a cautious approach as the Liverpool game will be in his thoughts too.
Saliba hope
No news could be good news. Both William Saliba and Tomiyasu limped off in the first half against Sporting CP earlier in the month and subsequently missed the win over Crystal Palace three days later. Now, there has been an update on the latter but nothing with regard to how the Frenchman is coping.
Arteta could deliver the latest Arsenal team news when he faces the media at London Colney and based on previous selection decisions this season, if Saliba is over the back problem that also caused him to withdraw from France duty then he will return to the matchday squad - likely at the expense of Walters - and reclaim a place in the starting line-up from Rob Holding.
Nketiah return?
Speaking of returns, it's been a while since Eddie Nketiah was in an Arsenal squad. Last seen limping off after the 4-0 win over Everton at the beginning of March, an ankle injury has caused the striker to miss both European ties against Sporting CP as well as the last three Premier League games.
"Yeah, he's getting better," Arteta said when asked for an update on Nketiah before the Europa League round of 16 second leg clash against Sporting CP. "He’s still in the boot. He’s still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it’s not as bad as it could have been."
If Nketiah is in a position to be named in the matchday squad against Leeds - with whom he had a brief loan spell during the 2019/20 season - then he will most likely be amongst the substitutes.
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