by Arsenal travel to Chelsea this weekend in a tough race for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s side, winless in their last three Premier League matches, were beaten 1-0 at Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Another defeat at a relatively in-form Chelsea would be another major setback, while a win would be a statement of intent.
Huge match for the club, Arteta will be boosted by the return of Martin Odegaard after his cameo against Inter.
Yet, as seems to have been the case all season, injury concerns remain.
With that in mind, here’s a look at Arsenal’s latest injuries…
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz was left bloodied after a clash with Inter’s Yann Bisseck.
The German made way for the returning Odegaard towards the end of the match and Arteta said: “Kai Havertz had a big cut and I hope he is OK for the weekend.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Declan Rice
Arsenal were dealt a major blow ahead of their trip to Inter. Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel due to a foot injury suffered in the defeat at Newcastle.
At this point, it is unclear whether or not Rice will be able to play against Chelsea.
“Declan unfortunately got injured against Newcastle,” Arteta said on Tuesday.
“He was able to finish the match but he wasn’t feeling well in the last few days, so we need to evaluate him on Thursday to understand whether or not he will be fit for the weekend.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Riccardo Calafiori
Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori was injured in the 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk and has missed the last four games.
Speaking last month, Arteta revealed the Italian would likely be out for “a few weeks”.
“He will be out for a few weeks, I would say,” the Gunners boss said at the end of October.
Potential return date: Unknown
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu has played just six minutes this season after suffering a setback during his recovery from a knee injury.
Arteta confirmed the Japan international was not expected back until after the international break.
Potential return date: November/December 2024
Kieran Tierney
Arsenal are fortunate to have options at left back, so it remains to be seen what role Kieran Tierney plays this season.
Yet Arteta is confident the Scotland international will return to team training soon.
“I think he’s pretty close,” Arteta said. “He looks really good. I think he’s past the period where he was still struggling, so he looks really sharp there.
“He hasn’t trained with the team yet, but I hope he can do so in a week or two.”
Potential return date: Unknown
