Arsenal return to action against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Monday 18th October, 16 days since they were held to a 0-0 draw by Graham Potter’s Brighton.
Since then, a number of Mikel Arteta’s squad have been playing for their respective countries during the ongoing international break and the Spaniard will be keeping a keen eye on his stars, hoping none of them pick up any knocks before the clash against the Eagles.
Arsenal have a relatively injury-free squad other than the long-term injury picked up by Granit Xhaka during last month’s north London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
With that being said, football.london takes a look at the current state of the Gunners squad from a fitness perspective as the international break continues.
Thomas Partey
Thomas Partey has struggled with a plethora of injury problems since joining from Atletico Madrid in October 2020.
The Ghanaian vice-captain missed the opening part of the current campaign after sustaining an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea before returning from the bench during the win against Norwich earlier this season.
He then again limped off against Burnley but the problem did not stop him from playing the full 90 minutes against Spurs or Brighton.
Partey was in action against Zimbabwe for Ghana, netting the second goal of the game as they won 3-1 on Saturday, staying on the pitch for the entirety of the contest. They face Zimbabwe again on Tuesday.
(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland captain Xhaka has endured a rollercoaster start to the new campaign, having been handed a three-match suspension for his red card against Manchester City, before he then tested positive for Covid-19.
Finally back in contention, Xhaka was withdrawn with what looked to be a painful knee injury against Spurs and Arteta has since revealed he is set for an extended period on the sidelines.
Talking ahead of the Brighton clash, Arteta said: “We’re going to lose him for a while. We’ll try to keep him as close as possible to the team. He will evolve and develop in other areas. It’s the first big injury that he’s had. We are here to help him and I’m sure we’ll find some ways around it in the team because we have some really good players who can do the job.”
He has been left out of the Switzerland squad, who beat Northern Ireland 2-0 on Saturday and next face Lithuania on Tuesday.
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal fans held their breath as reigning player of the year Bukayo Saka limped off during the dying embers of the game at the Amex Stadium.
However, Arteta has since confirmed that the 20-year-old’s knock was nothing serious.
Asked about Saka’s injury, the Spaniard replied: “He’s fine. He got a knock but he should be fine.”
The talented winger didn’t train with the rest of the England squad on Tuesday, but was not hampered against Andorra as he scored his third international goal and played the full 90 minutes.
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny has suffered with some frustrating issues at the start of the campaign, having missed the wins against Norwich City, Burnley and Spurs.
His knee injury appeared to have cleared up for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon but he has not been seen in a Premier League matchday squad.
However, with Xhaka out, he could be afforded an opportunity by Arteta in the coming weeks. First, he will hope to impress on international duty having been named in the Egypt squad for the current international break and has already played the full match as they defeated Libya 1-0 on Friday.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
If his international travails are anything to go by, the Japanese international could well be a doubt by the time he gets home.
After taking on Saudi Arabia, the Blue Samurai are set to take on Australia in a World Cup qualifier. The trip back alone is set to take a day so Tomiyasu is unlikely to be back in training until at least Thursday – giving him very limited time to prepare for Monday’s clash with the Eagles.
Source by Football London
