Mikel Arteta will be hoping an extended break for his Arsenal squad in Dubai will help them for the remaining months of the 2024/25 season. The Gunners headed out to the Middle East earlier this week following a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Over 180 minutes, Eddie Howe's side were far superior to Arsenal, with long-term target Alexander Isak hugely influential in both 2-0 victories. Prior to the second leg at St James Park, the Gunners had some serious momentum after thumping reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 5-1.

However, they were simply no match for Newcastle, with that loss seeing Arsenal knocked out of both domestic competitions. The Premier League title race against Liverpool is still ongoing however, with a Champions League last-16 tie to come for the Gunners in March.

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With that being said, there is still plenty to play for and Arteta will be desperate for three pieces of good news over the coming eight days before Arsenal return to action against Leicester City.

Title twist

Six points currently separate Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, but that gap could increase to nine in just five days. That is because the Reds face Everton in the rescheduled Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday, February 12.

Arne Slot's side will, of course, be favourites, but Everton have drastically improved since the return of David Moyes, with three wins picked up from their last four games. The Toffees also have a great record in recent seasons against Liverpool on their own patch.

While it is unlikely, there is a chance Liverpool do drop points and even a draw could give the Gunners a major lift heading into their game against Leicester and beyond. Following that game against the Foxes, further optimism could arrive with Liverpool set to play their gameweek 29 game away at Aston Villa a few weeks early.

The worst-case scenario would be the gap at the summit being stretched to 12 points, but the dream outcome would be Arsenal having a game in hand and being just three points off Liverpool before they face Man City at Etihad Stadium.

Saka return boost

For Arsenal to even have a chance of going deep into the Champions League knockout stages and continuing to keep pace with Liverpool at the top, Arteta will need Saka back.

The Gunners winger has missed the last six weeks with a hamstring injury and is expected to remain out until March at the earliest, though Arteta has stressed he is unsure when he could be back. Despite the fact he won't be able to train, Saka has travelled out to Dubai with the rest of the Arsenal squad.

Arteta will be desperately hoping a change of surroundings can speed up his recovery progress before returning to the grass back at London Colney and then featuring in partial return team training following that.

Martinelli update

Alongside Saka and Gabriel Jesus, another Arsenal attacker will miss a significant period. Early into the defeat at Newcastle, Gabriel Martinelli pulled up feeling his hamstring and was swiftly replaced by Ethan Nwaneri as a result.

"Yes, he felt something," the Spaniard said on Martinelli in a press conference. "I think it was his hamstring and he wasn't comfortable to continue so we'll have to do an MRI scan tomorrow to see the extent of the injury." The Athletic have now claimed he will likely miss a month of action.

Four weeks out of the team could see him miss up to six games including Premier League games against West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Remaining absent for the Champions League last-16 is also possible with that to arrive in early March.

On a positive note, the prognosis is far better than Saka's and it could be timed well that both make their respective returns and thus give Arsenal a huge boost.