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Arsenal can welcome back five players for crunch Nottingham Forest clash
Arsenal could be boosted by as many as five players returning to their matchday squad against Nottingham Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds return to action after the international break next Saturday with a trip to face the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium (3pm kick-off). They are unbeaten on the road in the Premier League so far this term but know it will be a tough test in the capital.
Arsenal have endured a difficult start to the season when it comes to injuries. Most crucially, boss Mikel Arteta has seen captain Martin Odegaard miss key games and his side suffer as a result.
However, players are starting to recover and several are close to getting back out on the pitch after varying absences. Below, thanks to our colleagues at FootballLondon we take a look at players who are close to making their return…
Raheem Sterling missed the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with Chelsea last time out as the Blues loanee was ineligible to face his parent club. The attacker has not yet been able to make a meaningful impact in north London but will hope that changes soon.
Both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice came off the field against Chelsea. The pair were unable to complete the game and Arteta spoke afterwards in pessimistic tones - but so far nothing has emerged to suggest that either suffered a serious problem.
“It doesn’t look good because two players of that importance tell you that they cannot continue in the game, so it obviously isn’t good news,” Arteta said. Arsenal will hope the pair can return to the squad for the match with Forest.
The Daily Mail have now claimed the Gunners are hopeful of both Rice and Saka being available for next weekend. However, it is specified the latter is further along in his recovery amid suggestions Rice may have suffered a broken foot.
The final two players have been missing for several weeks. Takehiro Tomiyasu thought he had put his injury woes behind him when he came on towards the end of a 3-1 win over Southampton last month, but he has been sidelined since.
After a spell of rehabilitation, the Japan international is now close to another comeback. It comes at a good time, with Ben White having just undergone a procedure to fix an ongoing problem with his joint.
Riccardo Calafiori has been a huge miss for Arsenal on the left-hand side while he has been absent with a knee problem. Again, with White out, it means Jurrien Timber can move to right-back and Calafiori come into the left-back role.
Alongside those concerns, Arteta will be hoping Odegaard does not suffer any setbacks having just returned from a lengthy lay-off because of an ankle injury. The Gunners captain has remained in north London over the two-week domestic pause.
Scotland international Kieran Tierney remains out but could soon return from the serious hamstring injury picked up during Euro 2024. He is said to be edging closer to a comeback.
