Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table yesterday (Sunday) with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and a Reiss Nelson brace swept Forest under the carpet with ease in north London but the result was overshadowed by Bukayo Saka's early exit after an injury concern.
The forward was on the back end of a number of heavy challenges in the first 27 minutes and was forced off after receiving two lots of treatment on the pitch. Nelson replaced him and made the most of his opportunity but concerns remain over the fitness of England forward Saka ahead of the World Cup.
READ MORE: How Arsenal could line-up vs Chelsea at Stamford Bridge amid Bukayo Saka injury scare
Next up for the Gunners is Thursday's final Europa League game against FC Zurich. With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the available players for the clash.
Bukayo Saka
Saka has featured in all games this season across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing four assists. After being rested from the off on Thursday in Eindhoven, the forward returned to the starting line-up against Forest but was unable to continue.
After receiving treatment from physio Simon Murphy, he was eventually replaced from match hero Nelson.
What Arteta has said: “Hopefully not. It was a bad kick," he said. "Right from the beginning he was limping, but I don’t see any further than that. Let’s see how he is in the next couple of days.”
As for where he was injured, Arteta added: “I think both [foot or ankle]. He got kicked a few times and he wasn’t comfortable.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Matt Turner
USMNT goalkeeper Turner was expected to keep his place in the Europa League side against PSV, but he was a surprise exclusion from the matchday squad. It was revealed late on that the summer signing was not made available for the game as a precaution for a tight groin.
What Arteta has said: "Matt [Turner] felt something in his groin last night, so we decided to start with Aaron [Ramsdale].
Expected return date: Unknown
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Zinchenko has been missing of late and played no part once again against Forest.
Zinchenko suffered a knock to his knee in late August before briefly returning to action against Manchester United. He then picked up a calf injury in Arsenal training and has struggled to stay match-fit since. The Ukraine international has missed the Gunners' last eight games, including the Europa League defeat to PSV.
The medical staff are monitoring the versatile defender and will be looking to not give him too much, too soon, concerning his physical workload.
What Arteta has said: "He had a recurring injury in his calf. That's why he's been out for this period."
Expected return date: Unknown.
Marquinhos
Marquinhos was not involved in Thursday night's clash or Sunday's win over Forest. The Brazilian youngster was feeling unwell in the build-up to the PSV game and didn't travel to the Netherlands as a result.
What Arteta has said: "We had Marquinhos, who wasn't feeling well today and didn't travel. For the rest, we are OK."
Expected return date: Unknown.
Mohamed Elneny
As per Arsenal's official tweet 'look who's back!' Mohamed Elneny hasn't been seen in a training session since the end of August in the build-up to the win over Fulham where he sustained a hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines.
Whilst there had been talk of Elneny not returning until after the winter World Cup, he trained ahead of the Nottingham Forest game but was not named in Arteta's matchday squad.
What Arteta has said: "We still need to see another specialist, but I'm afraid we're going to lose Mo for a while.
"Obviously, that has an impact because Thomas is injured, and we are a bit short in that position."
Expected return date: Unknown.
Emile Smith Rowe
Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has struggled to get his season underway so far, suffering with injury from pre-season before making his return from the bench against Manchester United last month. However, he then got injured in the warm-down at Old Trafford.
The England international has since undergone surgery which is set to keep him on the sidelines for an extended period, with no return date set as of this moment.
What Arteta has said: "That's been an ongoing issue that he's had. He's had some discomfort in the groin area and hasn't had any continuity this season," the Arsenal boss told reporters in a press conference before the 3-0 win over Brentford a couple of weeks ago. "It's something we are trying to assess.
"We're trying to help him as much as possible in any way we can because we need him fit, we need him available, and we need him performing at his best level because he's such an important player for us. Unfortunately, for this period and periods last year, we haven't had him."
Expected return date: Unknown.
READ NEXT:
Bukayo Saka forced off with ankle injury amid Arsenal club doctor worry and referee anger
Reiss Nelson's 837-day goal record revealed as Gabriel Magalhaes leaves Arsenal crowd in shock
Mikel Arteta provides Arsenal Bukayo Saka injury update after World Cup scare in Forest victory
Arsenal player ratings vs Nottingham Forest as Nelson stars with Partey and Odegaard stunners
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
