Arsenal were hit with a number of injury concerns ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham during the international break.
Mikel Arteta has provided an update on the likes of Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney prior to the clash against Spurs. The Spaniard offered a short response when asked about the fitness of his squad, copying Antonio Conte's tactic by not handing their north London rivals an advantage ahead of kick off.
Summer signing Gabriel Jesus is set to start his first North London Derby after missing out on a spot in Brazil's latest squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup at the expense of Spurs striker Richarlison. Emile Smith Rowe scored the opening goal in the same fixture last term but, after undergoing successful surgery to repair a long-term groin injury, is set to be out of action until 2023.
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The Arsenal boss commented on the risk of playing players who aren't fully fit ahead of a packed fixture list in October, stating he will take it 'game by game' to dictate which players start. Following Arteta's pre-Tottenham press conference in which he provided an update on a number of players, football.london takes a look at the list of potential Gunners absentees ahead of the North London Derby.
Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe is set to miss the remainder of 2022 as he begins his recovery after undergoing successful surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his groin. The 22-year-old was absent for most of the Gunners' pre-season tour and aggravated a long-term issue during a warm-down following the 3-1 loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta offered an update on Smith Rowe's recovery timeline during his press conference, the Spaniard said: "We put all the alternatives on the table. We have tried some other (solutions) during the last few months and they haven’t really worked to the point where the player was comfortable and consistently available at his best to perform.
"Then we decided to take that route. We all thought it was the best decision and we’ll stick to it and move on. After a surgery, it’s very difficult to give a timeline.
"The first process, how his bones heal, how is his first reaction, is he in pain, is he not, how is he adapting? We need to go step by step. We know before the World Cup he’s not going to be involved and then we have a break and we have to use it in the right way. We had to make a decision and we could not continue with that uncertainty.
"Do we have him do we not have him? Do we have him or do we have him under certain conditions? We made that decision. The player was the first one demanding that he wanted an end decision and we supported that and now we have to prepare him to get back to where he was."
Expected return date: January 2023
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney is set to be available for the North London Derby after Arteta confirmed the Scottish defender will be part of the matchday squad.
When asked whether Tierney, Zinchenko and Partey will be part of the team to face Spurs, Arteta responded: "They are part of the team."
The Spaniard also discussed how he must protect his players' welfare ahead of the Gunners playing nine games in October. When commenting on Tierney's fitness, Arteta added: "I think what we all want is the best for the player.
"Protect the welfare of the players for sure, have them in the right mindset, have them ready physically to play for the club and the best to do it is with good communication and honesty and transparency. With Scotland that’s the case for sure."
The defender was forced off in the first half of Scotland's 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League last Saturday after suffering a blow to the head, but Scotland boss Steve Clarke confirmed he was only taken off a precaution.
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Arteta has a slight selection headache ahead of the North London Derby regarding who to start at left-back with the return of both Tierney and Zinchenko. The Ukraine international was absent for his country throughout the international break but will be part of the matchday squad against Spurs.
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
Thomas Partey
Partey did not feature for Ghana over the international break after the Black Stars' medical department withdrew his from the starting line-up as a 'precautionary measure' after he picked up a knock in training. Partey returned to Arsenal earlier than expected but, as is the same with Tierney and Zinchenko, will be involved in the matchday squad.
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
Martin Odegaard
There is hope amongst Arsenal camp that Odegaard will return to the team for the North London Derby. The midfielder missed the Gunners' 3-0 win over Brentford just before the international break with a calf problem, but played for Norway in their Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Serbia.
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Arsenal are optimistic that Tomiyasu will be fit for the clash, but he remains a doubt. The right-back went away with Japan during the international break, but returned to north London early due to 'club circumstances'.
The full statement from the Japanese FA reads: "We would like to inform you that defender TOMIYASU Takehiro (Arsenal) will be withdrawing from the SAMURAI BLUE ahead of the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2022 Ecuador National Team match on September 27th due to club circumstances."
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
Cedric Soares
As reported by football.london's Arsenal writer Kaya Kaynak, Cedric has picked up a fresh injury that is likely to keep him out of action for a week or two. The Portuguese right-back had just returned from an injury that kept him out of the games against FC Zurich and Brentford, but he has suffered another setback. He is yet to feature so far this season for the Gunners.
Expected return date: Unknown
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny is still suffering from a hamstring injury which he sustained against Fulham last month. Arteta has described the injury as 'long term' and the Egyptian will miss the game against Spurs.
Expected return date: Unknown
Reiss Nelson
The winger could feature in a matchday squad for the first time this season on Saturday, with the 22-year-old now back in first team training.
Expected return date: Tottenham (H) - 01/10
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