Arsenal finally return to Premier League action and what better way to kick off a busy month of fixtures than with the North London Derby.
The Gunners will welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium for the first North London Derby of the season with Mikel Arteta's side looking to stay top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently just a point ahead of Spurs in the table, with Manchester City still hot on their heels as they look to retain their title.
Antonio Conte has praised his rival manager ahead of the huge fixture and it is set up to be an epic battle between two in-form teams, with Spurs looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season. However, both managers are facing plenty of injury concerns heading into the game.
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The Gunners remain hopeful that Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu could all be available for the game, football.london understands. Here, football.london takes a look at the list of potential Gunners absentees ahead of Saturday's clash.
Emile Smith Rowe
Arsenal announced that attacker Emile Smith Rowe has undergone major surgery to help recover from a long-term injury.
In a statement released on the club's website, it says: "In recent months, Emile Smith Rowe has been experiencing discomfort in his groin, which has limited his training and match appearances.
"Following a significant setback at our Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 4, and after further specialist consultations and discussions with our medical team, Emile underwent surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his groin.
"This successful surgery took place in London in the past few days and Emile’s rehabilitation programme is already underway. We are hopeful that Emile will return to full training in December.
"Everyone at the club will now be supporting and working hard with Emile to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible."
Martin Odegaard
There is considerable hope in the 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.
Thomas Partey
The midfielder returned from international duty earlier than expected after picking up a knee injury while away with Ghana. The midfielder had only just made a return from injury, where he missed games against Fulham, Aston Villa and Manchester United with a tight right groin.
However, Arsenal are hopeful that Partey will be available for this weekend and he will continue to be assessed in the lead up to the game.
Kieran Tierney
Tierney is set to be available for the North London Derby. 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. He is expected to recover in time for the visit of Spurs.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Like with Partey, Arsenal are hopeful that Zinchenko will be available for selection against Antonio Conte's side. A calf injury kept the left-back out of the win against Brentford, while he also didn't go away on international duty with Ukraine due to the problem.
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."
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.
Reiss Nelson
The winger could be in a matchday squad for the first time this season on Saturday, with the 22-year-old now back in training.
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'.
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