The injury problems in defence continue to arise for Arsenal.
The Gunners were strengthened in the draw with Liverpool on Sunday by the return of Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka, but once again Mikel Arteta left a match sweating over the fitness of key players.
Gabriel and Timber both had to be replaced to potentially add to the club’s injury list, with Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu also out.
Club captain Martin Odegaard, meanwhile, also remains on the sidelines, two months after his last appearance for the Gunners.
Here is all the latest Arsenal injury news and return dates...
Gabriel
Gabriel had played every minute in the Premier League this season until he was forced off early in the second-half against Liverpool.
The centre-back initially tried to continue but went down again and had to be replaced, limping his way straight down the tunnel.
Gabriel returned to sit on the bench and had an ice pack on his left knee, with the Brazilian being assessed after the match.
Arteta said: “I don’t know but he could not run. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if it’s the knee joint or the ankle. They’re assessing him now so *touches wood*.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Jurrien Timber
There was a major boost for the Gunners against Liverpool as Timber returned from injury to start at left-back.
That was his first appearance since the win over PSG earlier this month and he did a good job of keeping Mohamed Salah in the 76 minutes he was on the pitch.
However, Timber needed treatment after going down with what appeared to be cramp, and he came off a couple of minutes later as Myles Lewis-Skelly was introduced. It did not seem to be a serious issue.
Arteta hailed the defender’s commitment in being fit to face Liverpool, but was in the dark as to whether Timber had suffered another injury.
“I think we’ve done everything we could to accelerate that process,” the Arsenal boss said.
“He was so willing. The team and the medical staff have done a great job. We gave ourselves the chance to compete. I don’t know the extent of the injury if there is one.”
Potential return date: November 2 vs Newcastle
Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal captain’s last appearance for the club came at the end of August, with Odegaard out since then with an ankle injury he suffered while on international duty with Norway.
There have been positive updates in recent weeks, with Odegaard running on an anti-gravity treadmill as he stepped up his recovery, and Arteta revealing he expects to have the midfielder back before the next international break.
“I’ve been working very hard on my recovery in the past few weeks, and missing out on big Champions League nights like this just makes me more determined and motivated to get back as soon as possible,” Odegaard wrote in his programme notes ahead of the Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
“I’m feeling better and better each day, but when it’s an ankle injury you have ups and downs as well. Some days you feel really good, and then sometimes you can have a little reaction. But in general it’s getting better and I feel like I’m getting closer now.”
However, speaking after the draw with Liverpool, Arteta said Odegaard was still a “bit far away” from being available, suggesting a return to action is not imminent.
Potential return date: November 9 vs Chelsea
Riccardo Calafiori
While Arsenal had the likes of Saka and Timber back against Liverpool, Calafiori did not make the squad.
The Italian defender was forced off against Shakhtar after appearing to jar his knee as he stretched awkwardly and was swiftly replaced.
Reports in Italy have suggested that Calafiori will be out for a few weeks after suffering damage to his medial collateral ligament, which would leave him in a race to be back before the international break.
Potential return date: November 23 vs Nottingham Forest
Takehiro Tomiyasu
It has been a miserable season for Tomiyasu, who missed the first two months of the campaign with a knee problem.
He finally made his first appearance against Southampton, playing a few minutes off the bench, but the versatile defender suffered another setback in that brief cameo and is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
“We don’t know that (how long he will be out for),” Arteta said. “It doesn’t look like, hopefully, a long period but we have to see when he comes back how he reacts to the load and to the impact on the pitch as well.
“But we really need him. He has been incredible, his work rate, the amount of hours he has put in to get back.
“He did it and he was in great shape - and now he has got something else again. But, we are all behind him. He needs our support and hopefully he will be fine.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Kieran Tierney
Tierney was sat alongside William Saliba to watch Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool, but that is as close as he’s got to the action this season.
The left-back suffered a serious hamstring injury at Euro 2024 while playing for Scotland, one that prevented him from securing a move away from the Gunners in the summer, which had felt inevitable.
Tierney has been named in Arsenal’s Champions League squad, but no update has been provided on his fitness and it remains to be seen whether he would feature in Arteta’s first-team plans anyway.
Potential return date: Unknown
