Arsenal host a resurgent Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, aiming to avoid a third straight Premier League game without a win.
Since beating Bournemouth in their first game of 2026, Arsenal have been held to goalless draws by Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the league.
With Manchester City and Aston Villa also dropping points over the past two gameweeks, the frustration for Mikel Arteta’s side is that they have missed the chance to pull further clear of the chasing pack.
That said, a seven point lead at the top of the table is still a healthy advantage and Arsenal should be full of confidence ahead of Man Utd’s visit.
The Gunners beat Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night, maintaining their perfect record in the league phase in addition to sealing a top two finish with a game to spare.
Furthermore, Arsenal have been boosted by the return of some key players in recent weeks and fresh fitness concerns over Bukayo Saka have gone away after he played 90 minutes in the San Siro.
Here’s all the latest Arsenal injury news and potential return dates...
Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori has been sidelined since pulling up in the warm-up before the win against Brighton just after Christmas.
The left-sided defender has now missed eight games across all competitions with a muscle injury.
Arteta said last week that Calafiori was “progressing” and that he hoped to have him back “soon”.
But there has been a significant change in Calafiori rehabilitation after he was spotted in training ahead of the Manchester United showdown and Arteta has revealed the defender could be available for selection on Sunday.
Potential return date: January 25 vs Manchester United (H)
Piero Hincapie
Piero Hincapie was forced off in the 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool on January 8.
It has since emerged that Hincapie suffered a groin injury which has caused him to miss games against Portsmouth, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Inter Milan.
Arteta had remained tight-lipped on the defender’s recovery, until speaking ahead of the Man Utd clash.
“We still have another training session, so we will see tomorrow after that,” Arteta told reporters when asked about Calafiori and Hincapie on Friday. “After Inter we have no issues.”
Potential return date: January 25 vs Manchester United (H)
Max Dowman
Max Dowman has been out since suffering an ankle ligament injury in a behind-closed-doors game against Manchester United before Christmas.
The 16-year-old was ruled out for two months and has been removed from Arsenal’s Champions League squad as a result.
Arteta confirmed recently that Dowman was still “a few weeks away”.
Potential return date: Late February
