Arsenal return to Premier League action this afternoon and it's a big game first up after the international break.
The Gunners welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium in the latest instalment of the North London Derby, but a certain task that Mikel Arteta faces on every single matchday has been made easier with Cedric Soares and Emile Smith Rowe still sidelined through injury.
Following plenty of outgoings during the final month of the summer transfer window which saw the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all depart either permanently or on loan, the Arsenal manager is now working with a slightly smaller squad.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Thomas Partey fitness, Emile Smith Rowe and Arsenal vs Tottenham
Those decisions could come back to haunt Arteta and technical director Edu before the season pauses for the World Cup as Arsenal play 13 games across three competitions between now and November 12, and they will be impacted if injuries continue to take their toll as the senior squad is now a little light in some areas.
Prior to Friday's pre-match press conference, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko were all considered doubtful for the North London Derby, which meant the Gunners manager's options could have been stretched even further.
But Arteta's comments effectively confirmed football.london's report that the club remain hopeful that the quartet will be involved. With the best-case scenario looking likely, Zinchenko and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard are on course to return to the fold after missing the 3-0 win over Brentford.
As a result, the double boost will further reduce the number of players Arteta must leave out of his 20-man squad against Spurs. In fact, if there are no fresh injury concerns, youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Lino Sousa will almost certainly make way for Odegaard and Zinchenko.
Going by the club's official website, the north London outfit have 24 senior players listed, which means regardless of the injury situation, Arteta was always going to have to make a decision on which four first-team stars would be cheering on their teammates from behind the bench at the Emirates or from home.
Because Smith Rowe has joined Elneny as a long-term absentee in addition to Cedric suffering a setback during the week, three omissions have already been confirmed and the decision on who else to leave out of the matchday squad against Spurs is straightforward as it's unusual for teams to name two goalkeepers on the bench for a Premier League game so Karl Hein is likely to miss out.
However, this does leave one spot available for an outfield player and it could be filled by Reiss Nelson who has recently returned to full training. Since returning from a loan spell with Feyenoord in the summer, the winger has only made a matchday squad once and that was for the opening day win at Crystal Palace.
Of course, a muscle injury sustained in training before the 4-2 win over Leicester City in August has kept the 22-year-old on the sidelines until now. After using the international break to improve his fitness, the somewhat forgotten man is in line for a recall to the matchday squad for the Gunners' biggest game of the campaign.
Furthermore, if there happens to be the fifth Arsenal senior player unavailable for selection against Spurs, then Arteta can include Matt Smith on the bench once again having done so for Premier League games against Aston Villa and Brentford so far this season.
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